WALES

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department has spent on  (a) salaries and  (b) pension entitlements for special advisers in the financial year 2010-11 to date.

David Jones: Information is available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/special-adviser-data-releases
	The estimated pay bill includes pension costs, and details of pension arrangements are set out in the "Model contract for Special Advisers".

NORTHERN IRELAND

Economic Situation

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on economic development in Northern Ireland.

Owen Paterson: I have had extensive discussions with the First and Deputy First Ministers, the Finance Minister and the Enterprise Minister on proposals to develop and rebalance the Northern Ireland economy.
	The consultation paper the Government publishes tomorrow will be a genuine team effort. I pay tribute to the work of Northern Ireland Executive Ministers on these crucial proposals.

Economic Situation

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on measures to promote economic growth in Northern Ireland.

Owen Paterson: I have had intensive discussions with the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Hertfordshire (Mr Gauke), on consultation proposals to rebalance the Northern Ireland economy and promote investment.
	I pay tribute to the excellent work undertaken by my ministerial colleagues in the Treasury on these crucial proposals to boost growth.

Corporation Tax

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on corporation tax policy in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: I have had extensive discussions with ministerial colleagues in the Treasury on measures to rebalance the Northern Ireland economy.
	The Government consultation paper published tomorrow will outline the potential for the devolved Administration to be given powers to reduce the corporation tax rate in Northern Ireland.

Royal Irish Regiment and Irish Guards

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on steps to mark the return to Northern Ireland of the Royal Irish Regiment and the Irish Guards from operational deployment in Afghanistan.

Owen Paterson: I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the exceptional efforts and sacrifices of the Royal Irish Regiment and Irish Guards in Afghanistan, in particular Lance Corporal Stephen McKee from 1st Battalion the Royal Irish Regiment who was killed on 9 March 2011.
	I am aware that the Ministry of Defence are in the early planning stages for several events both in Northern Ireland and in GB and will give any such events my full support.

Credit Unions: Northern Ireland

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the  (a) Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and  (b) Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment in the Northern Ireland Executive on the (i) funding of credit unions in Northern Ireland and (ii) allocation of funding through the Growth Fund.

Owen Paterson: As the subject matter of the Credit Unions (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 is a devolved matter I have not held any such discussions to date, although I would be prepared to raise these matters with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), if asked to do so by the Northern Ireland Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment.
	Social Security is also a devolved matter in Northern Ireland. The Financial Inclusion Fund (FIF) which ends in March 2011 pays for the Department for Work and Pensions Growth Fund. The Northern Ireland Executive has already received consequential under the Barnett formula in respect of the FIF.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare: Finance

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's funding allocation for animal health is for each of the next four financial years.

James Paice: The SR10 programme funding allocation for animal health and welfare for the next four financial years is as follows:
	
		
			   Allocation (£ million) 
			 2011-12 213 
			 2012-13 198 
			 2013-14 182 
			 2014-15 167

Biodiversity

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate she has made of the number of globally-threatened species present in  (a) the UK,  (b) England and  (c) the UK Overseas Territories in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: Yearly estimates of globally threatened species present in the UK, England and the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are not undertaken but the best available information is that there are:
	 (a) UK: 194 (2005-10)
	 (b) England: 54 (2010)
	 (c) UKOTs: 517 (2008).

Dairy Farming

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the financial effects on dairy farmers of the implementation of the provisions of European Clean Water Directive in respect of the storage of slurry.

Richard Benyon: The financial effect on the dairy sector of the need to construct slurry storage under the Nitrates Pollution Prevention Regulations 2008 was estimated at that time to be between £15.9 million and £20.7 million. The nitrates directive (a key measure to implement the water framework directive) is implemented in England by the nitrates pollution prevention regulations.
	As the total area of land eventually designated as Nitrate Vulnerable Zones comprises 62% of England, rather than the 70% on which the 2008 estimates were based, the actual financial impact is likely to have been less than suggested above.
	The estimate is for England only, as this is the extent of the coverage of the regulations.

Departmental Public Bodies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 9-10WS, on the public bodies reform programme, what estimate she has made of the savings to her Department net of costs incurred in the assumption of additional departmental responsibilities to accrue from  (a) the abolition of 24 public bodies within her Department's area of responsibility and  (b) the change in function of seven such bodies.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 21 March 2011
	On 16 March 2011,  Official Report, column 9WS, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Mr Maude) issued a written ministerial statement updating Parliament on progress on public bodies reform. That statement also announced that Departments estimate that cumulative administrative savings of at least £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period.
	DEFRA anticipates net planned administrative savings from structural reforms of our public bodies over the spending review period of approximately £18.58 million. In addition to this, we anticipate that cumulative planned administrative reductions from all DEFRA's public bodies will be approximately £250.93 million over the spending review period in real terms.
	DEFRA published spending review allocations for its arm's length bodies on our external website on 20 December 2010.

Plantations: Carlisle

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for the future of High Stand Plantation in Carlisle constituency.

James Paice: High Stand Plantation is owned by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and placed at the disposal of the Forestry Commissioners under section (3)1 of the Forestry Act 1967. It is being managed in accordance with an approved forest design plan which sets out the long-term vision for the wood, including detailed felling and restocking plans for at least a 10-year period.

Severn Estuary: Land

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many permissions have been given by the Environment Agency for the conversion of land on the Severn Estuary into wetland in each of the last five years; to whom each such permission was given; on what date; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Flood defence consent is not required for the conversion of land into wetland, unless there is a structure involved or works are proposed within eight metres of the landward toe of a sea defence. Conversion of land to wetland would be subject to the planning process administered by the local planning authority.
	The following table provides details of the two flood defence consents for structures that have been issued where land has been converted to wetland habitat through managed realignment or compensatory works.
	
		
			  Flood defence consent  Description  Date granted  Granted to 
			 Congresbury Tidal Embankment Realignment of tidal defence and creation of marginal habitat 30 March 2009 Environment Agency 
			 Dowlais Farm Wetland Project, Clevedon Fencing in conjunction with creating new ditches and ponds 9 March 2006 North Somerset Council

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Departmental Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Attorney-General how many procurement projects with a monetary value greater than  (a) £10 million,  (b) £50 million and  (c) £100 million (i) the Law Officers' Departments and (ii) the agency for which he is responsible were engaged upon in the latest period for which figures are available.

Edward Garnier: During financial years 2009-10 and 2010-11 only one new procurement project has been undertaken by the Law Officers' Departments which involved costs over £10 million.
	In October 2009, the CPS signed a three year extension of its ongoing contract with Information and Communications Technology (ICT) suppliers Logica and Global Crossing to supply information technology and telecommunications services until 2015. The cost of this contract extension was £125 million.

Departmental Rail Travel

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Attorney-General how many and what proportion of civil servants in the Law Officers' Departments are entitled to travel first class by rail within the UK.

Dominic Grieve: Civil servants employed by the Law Officers Departments have limited entitlement to travel by first class rail within the UK. It is expected that all travel should be undertaken by the most efficient means to ensure value for money.
	However, it is accepted that in some exceptional circumstances a first class ticket may cost less than standard class or represent better value for money, or there may be a genuine business, security or disability need. In such rare instances, first class travel would only be permitted following approval by a senior manager.

Serious Fraud Office

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney-General what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on proposals to separate the investigation and prosecution functions of the Serious Fraud Office; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Garnier: The Attorney-General and I regularly have wide-ranging discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department and with Home Office Ministers to consider criminal justice matters. These discussions cover, among other things, the coalition Government's commitment to tackle white collar crime, including those investigated and prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office, as seriously as other crime.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to increase the availability of affordable housing  (a) in Oxford and  (b) nationally.

Grant Shapps: In England we are investing nearly £4.5 billion in new affordable housing to help deliver up to 150,000 affordable homes. We expect providers of affordable housing and local authorities to work closely to identify the level of provision needed in their areas.
	The location, number and availability of affordable housing will be dependent on agreements between providers and the Homes and Communities Agency, in consultation with local authorities.

Bowling: Facilities

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations he has received on the safeguarding of facilities for crown green and lawn bowling.

Bob Neill: Since May 2010, my Department has received one representation relating to safeguarding a bowling green. In the light of a proposal to sell the land by its owners, a committee member of a bowling club requested comments on protection of the green through planning policy and on the Localism Bill's community right to buy provisions.

Community Development

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether the community right to build programme will include  (a) renovations and  (b) continuations of previously halted building projects;
	(2)  when he expects the community right to build programme to begin operation.

Grant Shapps: The community right to build proposals are contained in the Localism Bill introduced to Parliament on 13 December 2010. The Bill's enactment will give certain community organisations in rural and urban areas the right to bring forward a community right to build order allowing certain types of small scale development on a specific site to take place providing it meets prescribed criteria, has been subject to independent testing and has received majority support in a community referendum. Any benefits generated from developments under the community right to build will stay within the community and be used for the community's benefit. It will be for communities to identify suitable land, sources of finance and secure support for their proposals. We hope to achieve Royal Assent on the Localism Bill as soon as parliamentary time allows.
	Where renovations or the continuation of projects require planning permission, it would, in principle, be possible for community right to build orders to give permission for such projects, subject to the proposals meeting the requirements set out in the Bill and receiving a positive vote at referendum.

Disabled Facilities Grants

Nick Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the potential demand for disabled facilities grants.

Andrew Stunell: The Department for Communities and Local Government has commissioned the Building Research Establishment in 2009 to research and evaluate the potential demand for Disabled Facilities Grants. Details of the research are available on the Department for Communities and Local Government website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/dfgallocationmethodology

First Time Buyers

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to help first-time home buyers.

Grant Shapps: The Government are committed to helping those who aspire to own their own home. At Budget we announced £210 million to support a new FirstBuy: HomeBuy scheme in England. Co-funded with house builders FirstBuy will help over 10,000 first-time buyers, who are struggling to purchase a home because of large deposit requirements, to buy a newly built home over the next two years.
	I have also recently held a summit bringing together key players in the housing industry calling on them to work more closely together to help aspiring first-time buyers.
	I am pleased to see that progress has been made and those on the front line of building homes and providing mortgages are stepping up their efforts to help aspiring first-time buyers get a foot on the ladder by developing new products that meet the challenges faced by first-time buyers.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Alcoholic Drinks

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on the contents of Ministerial drinks cabinets since 12 May 2010.

John Penrose: There are no ministerial drinks cabinets in the Department.

Arts Council England

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much funding Arts Council England allocated per head of population in the Skipton and Ripon constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.

Edward Vaizey: Arts Council England estimates a spend of £2.96 per head in Skipton and Ripon during 2009-10.
	Additionally, a number of organisations funded by the Arts Council tour their work in the constituency: their funding is not represented in this total.

Arts Council England

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much funding Arts Council England allocated per head of population in the  (a) Craven local authority area,  (b) Harrogate local authority area and  (c) North Yorkshire county council authority area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Edward Vaizey: Arts Council England estimates spend in 2009-10 at £4.01 per head in Craven, £1.95 per head in Harrogate and £6.09 per head in North Yorkshire.
	Additionally, a number of organisations funded by the Arts Council tour their work in the constituency, though their funding is not represented in the figure above.

Bowling

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he has made an estimate of the number of  (a) crown green bowling and  (b) lawn bowling facilities that have closed in England in each of the last five years.

Hugh Robertson: Neither the Department nor Sport England hold the information requested.

Digital Broadcasting: North Yorkshire

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department allocated to promoting digital television switchover in North Yorkshire in the latest period for which figures are available.

Edward Vaizey: Digital UK, the independent, not-for-profit company leading the implementation of the digital TV switchover across the UK, is responsible for co-ordinating the process and informing viewers about switchover-when it is happening in their area and what they need to do in order to be ready.
	Digital UK's communication budget is funded from a ring-fenced proportion of the BBC licence fee. The cost of the core information campaign is typically £3.80 per household. This includes advertising, roadshows, community outreach, a contact centre and website. There are estimated to be around 2.6 million households in the Yorkshire TV region.
	Latest research carried out for Digital UK in the Yorkshire TV region shows that awareness of switchover was measured at 94% and three quarters of households (74%) are watching digital TV on all their sets.

Humanitarian Assistance

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department budgeted for humanitarian assistance to people in the UK affected by major incidents in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

John Penrose: The Humanitarian Assistance Unit budget was £500,000 in each of the years 2009-10 and 2010-11.

Humanitarian Assistance

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether any resources have been allocated to his Department's Humanitarian Assistance Unit to support UK nationals affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

John Penrose: The Department has not allocated any resources to support UK nationals affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Any support necessary is being co-ordinated by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Humanitarian Assistance

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether any resources have been allocated to his Department's Humanitarian Assistance Unit to support UK nationals affected by the situation in Libya.

John Penrose: The Department has not allocated any resources to support UK nationals affected by the situation in Libya. Any support necessary is being co-ordinated by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Olympic Games 2012

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which Minister is to propose the Olympic Truce resolution at the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Hugh Robertson: The UK will introduce an Olympic Truce resolution in the UN General Assembly session beginning in September 2011. No decision has yet been made about who will introduce the resolution.

Olympic Games 2012

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of special event orders needed in each London borough to facilitate the holding of events to celebrate the London 2012 Olympics; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: Work to compile a calendar of major events which are planned to take place in London in 2012 is well under way. A large number of boroughs, event organisers, cultural institutions and other organisations have registered information which will be shared with relevant public agencies to help with resource planning. Following evaluation, detailed discussions with boroughs and event organisers about planning can begin from summer 2011.

Tourism

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect of his tourism strategy on  (a) seaside towns,  (b) rural communities and  (c) Dartmoor National Park and other areas of outstanding natural beauty.

John Penrose: Over the next four years we are aiming to attract 4 million extra visitors to Britain adding £2 billion additional expenditure and create 50,000 jobs through the new £100 million overseas tourism marketing fund.
	In measurable terms we should increase the proportion of UK residents who holiday in the UK to match those who holiday abroad each year. For longer stays (four nights or more) this would mean 29% of travellers holidaying in Britain rather than just 20% today (creating 4.5 million extra domestic trips each year, £1.3 billion more spend and 26,000 new jobs). And if we can replicate this scale of improvement for shorter stays as well, we will create a further £750 million of spend and 11,000 new jobs.
	I am afraid we have not broken these figures down into the particular categories suggested in this question.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Alcoholic Drinks

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on the contents of ministerial drinks cabinets since 12 May 2010.

Edward Davey: There has been no purchases made for this purpose.

Business Link

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for future funding of Business Link; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Government's plans for modernising the provision of publicly funded support, information and advice for business were set out in the 'Bigger, Better Business' pamphlet published on 5 January 2011. The regional Business Link advisory service will close by the end of November this year. The Businesslink website will continue and be enhanced, supported by a new national contact centre for those who cannot access the information they need on the website.
	Following the spending review, the nine Regional Development Agencies will receive £92 million for 2011/12 to fund the regional Business Link advisory service's core information, diagnostics and brokerage offer.
	Future funding of:
	www.businesslink.gov.uk
	is a matter for HM Revenue and Customs, who outsource the provision. The new national contact centre is subject to a tendering exercise.

Business: Regulation

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the level of savings to the public purse which will result from a reduction in administration costs through exempting micro businesses from regulations on  (a) maternity rights,  (b) right to request flexible leave,  (c) removal of the default retirement age and  (d) flexible parental leave.

Edward Davey: holding answer 22 March 2011
	On  (a) and  (d), the Government have no plans to exempt micro-businesses from current statutory maternity or parental leave provisions.
	On  (b), the Government have recently announced that they are going to repeal-for all employers-the regulations extending the right to request flexible working to parents of 17-year-olds, which were due to come into force on 6 April. This extension would have imposed no burdens on the public purse; but would have imposed a total administrative cost of £456,000 per annum on employers.
	On  (c), the Government are committed to removing the default retirement age, including the associated administrative procedures. We do not intend to provide for a default retirement age applicable only to micro businesses. We estimate a net benefit to the public purse from the implementation of this policy of over £120 million per annum.

Companies House: Enforcement

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the outcome was of the investigation into the enforcement by Companies House of the provisions of sections 409 and 410 of the Companies Act 2006 in respect of the submission by businesses of lists of their subsidiary companies; what steps he is taking to ensure enforcement of the legislation; and what assessment he has made of the effect on this activity of the proposed reduction in staff numbers at Companies House.

Edward Davey: Companies House is currently responding to complaints about the failure of certain companies to disclose the required details of their overseas subsidiaries. In accordance with their established practice Companies House will seek to secure compliance with the legislation rather than embark immediately on retributive action.
	Prosecution is an option that would normally only be undertaken in the light of a persistent and wilful failure to comply with the legislation and would be subject to the normal considerations under the Crown Prosecutors Service guidelines.
	The proposed reduction in staff numbers at Companies House will not have any affect on this activity.

Dairy Products

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has to support the development of export markets for UK dairy producers (a) in the Far East and China and  (b) elsewhere.

Mark Prisk: The full range of UKTI services, including access to trade fairs and support delivered in the regions and by overseas Posts, is open to all eligible UK based companies seeking to develop export markets, including those in the dairy sector. UKTI commercial staff in China have, for example, recently assisted the dairy industry to pursue animal health and geographical indications issues with the Chinese authorities.

Departmental Assets

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether receipts from the sale of assets owned by regional development agencies are reflected in the spending plans of his Department for  (a) 2012-13 and  (b) 2013-14.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 17 March 2011
	The spending review settlement for regional development agencies (RDAs) is net of receipts and anticipates £61.5 million of receipts in 2012/13 and £43.5 million in 2013/14. These figures include income from different sources, including asset sales forecast to occur in the normal course of business. These receipts, along with the resources provided by the spending review, will fund the spending required to complete existing RDA legal commitments in respect of projects already under way.

Departmental Expenditure

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what expenditure  (a) his Department and  (b) each public body sponsored by his Department incurred on engaging external audit services in each of the last three years; and to which service providers such payments were made in each year.

Edward Davey: The notional and actual fees for auditing the core Department's accounts, and the consolidated accounts of the Department (and the name of the provider), are included in the Department's annual report and accounts which are published each year on the BIS website. Fees for the Department's executive agencies and public bodies sponsored by the Department would be published in the annual accounts of each body.
	Expenditure on other external audit services is not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

East of England Development Agency

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what options he is considering for the disposal of the assets and liabilities of the East of England Development Agency; and on what date after receipt of its assets and liabilities plan he proposes to issue his conclusions.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 17 March 2011
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Richard Graham) on 9 March 2011,  Official Report, column 1183W. The East of England Development Agency has submitted a detailed assets and liabilities plan this is currently being scrutinised by Government. Information will be made available in due course, once in principle decisions have been made on appropriate methods of disposal for particular types of assets.

Environment Protection: Employment

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support growth in levels of employment in  (a) remanufacturing and  (b) other environmental industries.

Mark Prisk: Remanufacturing is an important feature of the move to a low carbon economy. Any process which reduces costs, waste and carbon emissions, whilst meeting demand and serving the economy, is to be welcomed. Job creation must though come from the private sector. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills,(BIS), working with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), is carrying out a review of energy intensive sectors, such as iron, steel and aluminium, which will consider how remanufacturing-and recycling-will play a role in ensuring the future competitiveness of these sectors in the low carbon economy. In the revised waste framework directive the waste hierarchy is now a priority order providing a strong driver to encourage greater reuse and recycling.
	We are also working to create a Green Economy Roadmap which is a joint initiative between BIS, DECC and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to provide clarity to business on the green economy, the Government's policy intentions and the implications for business over the next 10 years. We will be publishing details later in the year.

Environment Protection: Investment

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage businesses to invest in environmental projects.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 22 March 2011
	The Department is developing a Green Economy Roadmap with colleagues from the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which will provide greater clarity to businesses on the opportunities, requirements and implications as we green our economy.

Higher Education: Finance

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the reputational effects of the use of funds from  (a) Libya,  (b) former Nazi sources and  (c) other oppressive regimes by UK universities; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Universities are autonomous institutions. Each will set its own standards for, and assess the reputational effect of, the acceptance and use of donations. As charities, all English universities should follow guidance on the receipt of donations from the Charity Commission and any additional guidance from the Higher Education Funding Council for England in its role as principal regulator under the Charities Act 2006.
	The Department does not hold information on the provenance of donations to universities in England and has made no central assessment of reputational effects.

Higher Education: Finance

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will  (a) draw-up and  (b) promulgate a code of practice for higher education establishments in respect of the use of funds from oppressive regimes for sponsorship of (i) studentships and (ii) academic posts.

David Willetts: Higher education institutions (HEIs) are autonomous institutions and are charities. The regulator of charities in England and Wales is the Charity Commission and, if a relevant English HEI, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), as principal regulator under the Charities Act 2006.
	As a charity, each HEI will set its own standards for the acceptance of donations and must apply its income to deliver its charitable purposes for the public benefit. In doing so, HEIs need to give due notice to guidance on the receipt of donations and public benefit published by the Charity Commission and HEFCE. The Department does not plan to issue additional guidance.

Micro-business Regulation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings  (a) he and  (b) Ministers in his Department have had with interested parties on micro-business regulation.

Mark Prisk: Ministers have regular meetings with business representative bodies. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has established an Entrepreneurs' Forum which met in January for the first time. A Small Business Economic Forum has also been established, they have met in October 2010 and January.
	I met with the Federation of Small Business, Institute of Directors and Confederation of British Industry most recently on 14 March.

Northwest Regional Development Agency

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the effect on the economy of the North West Regional Development Agency's rural development programme.

James Paice: I have been asked to reply.
	The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) currently delivers axes 1 and 3 of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) in the north-west region, in line with a Regional Implementation Plan. The RDPE has recently been subject to a Mid Term Evaluation which examined its progress for England as a whole against a wide range of indicators, including the impact of the programme on the rural economy to the extent that this was observable at the mid-term stage. The evaluation included a case study on the implementation of the RDPE in the north-west of England (including those elements delivered by the NWDA). The Mid Term Evaluation will be published shortly.

Overseas Trade

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which foreign-owned companies based in  (a) Brazil,  (b) Russia,  (c) India and  (d) China have made the largest contributions to the UK economy in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is the Government department responsible for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) to the UK, and enhancing the competitiveness of companies in the UK through overseas trade and investment. UKTI does not collect data which show the respective economic contribution to the UK economy of individual foreign-owned companies. UKTI does record the number of FDI projects entering the UK each year, together with the investing companies' estimates of associated jobs and (where made available) capital expenditure for the first three years of each FDI project. Companies are not required to provide capital expenditure data, and data gathered are therefore a partial data set.
	Within the overall total for the UK, the figures for the latest period (financial year 2009-10) for Brazil, India and China are shown in the following table. There were no UKTI-recorded FDI projects from Russia that year.
	
		
			  Market  UKTI-recorded FDI projects  Number  of new jobs  Number  of  s afeguarded Jobs  Total number  of associated jobs  Capital investment estimates , where supplied  ( £ million )  Number  of projects for which capital investment estimates supplied 
			 Brazil 6 103 0 103 2.75 1 
			 China 74 760 812 1,572 20.23 17 
			 India 92 3,271 2,618 5,889 479.82 7 
			 Totals 172 4,134 3,430 7,564 502.79 25 
			  Source: UKTI

Professional Organisations

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the merits of introducing mandatory membership of independent professional bodies for professionals working in those employment sectors within his remit.

John Hayes: Professional standards, including occupational licensing, can be a powerful way of raising ambition in skills and training provision contributing to greater productivity and growth in a sector. They can also be effective in addressing wider product market failures including consumer protection and health and safety. In "Skills for Sustainable Growth" the Government made the commitment to encourage and support the development of new industry-led professional standards. Employers are best placed to decide on the specifics of any approach themselves, such as whether membership of a professional body should be mandatory or otherwise.
	In the further education (FE) sector the Government will continue to support measures to ensure that we have a professionally-qualified teaching workforce. Current regulations require all FE teachers working in the publicly funded part of the sector to be members of the independent Institute for Learning established by teachers in FE themselves in 2002. The Government remain fully committed to the professional status of the FE teaching work force.

Regional Development Agencies: Finance

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value is of the residual assets of regional development agencies that have been transferred to the Homes and Communities Agency.

Mark Prisk: No residual RDA assets have yet been transferred to the Homes and Communities Agency.

JUSTICE

Court Orders

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for enforcement orders in respect of contact orders under section 8 of the Children Act 1989 were granted to parents in 2009.

Jonathan Djanogly: There was a total of 42 enforcement orders made in respect of contact orders in the county courts and family proceedings courts of England and Wales, in 2009. However, information about to which party contact orders are issued is not held centrally.

Legal Advice and Assistance

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many family law matter starts the Legal Services Commission allocated when the initial results of the 2010 family law tender were announced; and how many such starts each successful bidder  (a) returned or  (b) reduced following the abandonment of the tender.

Jonathan Djanogly: As the tender for family services was quashed by the administrative court, no matter starts awarded could be returned or reduced under the new contract following the order quashing the tender.

Legal Advice and Assistance

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints the Legal Services Commission has recorded from  (a) members of the judiciary,  (b) hon. Members,  (c) legal services providers and  (d) others about its tender process for the family law contract; when each was received; and how each was (i) recorded and (ii) subsequently handled by the Commission.

Jonathan Djanogly: The LSC received 149 letters in relation to the family tender between 12 July 2010 and 22 November 2010. 43 of these were recorded as complaints.
	Of the 43 recorded as complaints the following breakdown can be provided:  (a) five from the judiciary;  (b) 12 from MPs;  (c) 18 from providers;  (d) eight from others including three from provider representative bodies. They were all recorded on a central log and responded to by post or e-mail.

Legal Services Commission: Complaints

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints the Legal Services Commission has  (a) received and  (b) recorded and dealt with within (i) three, (ii) 10 and (iii) 14 working days of receipt (A) since the appointment of its current chief executive and (B) in respect of the family law tender process conducted in 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Legal Services Commission: Complaints

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance the Legal Services Commission follows in determining what constitutes a complaint made  (a) to the Commission and  (b) about its services; and what arrangements were made to (i) advise and (ii) train (A) the chairman, (B) the Chief Executive, (C) other personnel in the chief executive's office and (D) the legal director of the Commission in its complaints procedures.

Jonathan Djanogly: The LSC defines a complaint in its customer service standards as:
	"Any communication received by the Legal Services Commission that expresses a negative comment regarding the Commission and the service we provide."
	As part of its commitment to customer service, the LSC has communicated its complaints guidance to all staff. All managers are expected to ensure that their teams are aware of the complaints procedures, and an online customer service training course is available for this purpose.
	The chairman is responsible for ensuring that the LSC is delivering high standards of regularity and propriety, including ensuring that a robust complaints procedure is in place.
	The chief executive is responsible for the day-to-day operations and management of the LSC, including ensuring that effective procedures for handling complaints about the LSC are maintained and made widely known within the LSC. Both the chief executive, legal director and personnel in the chief executive's office are fully conversant with the complaints procedures.

Prisoners: Mass Media

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2011,  Official Report, column 463W, on prisoners: mass media, which  (a) external and  (b) internal stakeholders were consulted on the production of PSI 37/2010.

Crispin Blunt: The external stakeholders consulted on the draft Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 37/2010 Prisoners' Access to the Media prior to publication were the prisons and probation ombudsman, Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons, the Independent Monitoring Boards Secretariat and Youth Justice Board.
	In addition, a wide range of colleagues in the Ministry of Justice and National Offender Management Service were invited to comment. This included those responsible for the victim liaison scheme.

Stress

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements are in place in his Department to  (a) reduce levels of work-based stress and  (b) provide assistance to staff diagnosed with such stress.

Jonathan Djanogly: Ministry of Justice policies mandate that:
	An assessment is made of the risks to employee health from stress and other psychological hazards;
	procedures are implemented to manage and mitigate those risks, and
	support is provided for staff experiencing stress or psychological harm as a result of their work.
	Managers and staff share responsibility for assessing and managing stress at work. MoJ provides detailed guidance on how these actions should be carried out and the arrangements which should be followed; this also applies with regard to staff who are exposed to potentially traumatising incidents.
	Managers and staff have access to support through occupational health and employee assistance services, which include confidential counselling and other psychological therapeutic interventions as appropriate. Managers must consider referral to occupational health services in all cases where staff are absent through sickness with stress-related problems.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had on increasing the area of secure zone in Afghanistan beyond Kabul.

Liam Fox: The main effort of Afghan and international forces remains in southern Afghanistan, and UK forces continue to play a key role in the central Helmand area. Expansion of security within Kabul and surrounding provinces has also been an important part of the campaign and where significant progress has been made in recent months as General Petraeus and I discussed on my last visit to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to prepare for any spring offensive by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Liam Fox: The Ministry of Defence has recently completed a review of deployed forces and judges that force levels and posture are robust enough to deal with any spring offensive by the Taliban in UK areas of operation. The high tempo and aggressive operations carried out over the winter months to disrupt the Taliban will continue.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate his Department has made of the likely force density of UK troops in Afghanistan in 2015.

Liam Fox: The Prime Minister has given a clear public commitment that there will not be British troops in a combat role or in Afghanistan in significant numbers in 2015. However, the UK will continue to have an enduring relationship with Afghanistan based on trade, aid and development, and on training Afghan troops and building that capacity for the future.
	The Ministry of Defence is considering options for our military contribution post 2015; no decisions have yet been taken.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of trends in the performance of the Afghan National Security Forces.

Liam Fox: ISAF and the Afghan Government are involved in a continual assessment process that looks at the performance and capabilities of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). As I explained to the House on 14 February 2011,  Official Report, columns 732-35, there have been significant advances in both the size and capabilities of the ANSF.
	Both the Afghan national army and Afghan national police met their growth objectives for 2010, and are on track to meet the targets for 2011, agreed at the Kabul conference last year.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the new runway at Camp Bastion to enter into service; and what types of aircraft he expects it to be able to accommodate.

Nick Harvey: The new runway at Bastion opened on 10 February 2011 and routine flying commenced on 1 March 2011. It is suitable for strategic air transport aircraft.

Armed Forces: Health Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to improve the assistance given to soldiers to prepare them for life upon return from tours of duty.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence has made, and continues to make, significant progress in managing operational stress and the transition back to life at home through a number of initiatives. Key among these are:
	Trauma risk management is standard practice across all three services to manage traumatic stress through peer mentoring throughout the operational deployment.
	Prior to returning to their home base, all personnel who have been deployed for more than 30 days will undergo 'decompression' in Cyprus to improve the quality of homecoming.
	Each service has specific recovery capabilities designed to manage injured personnel and bring them back to full fitness for operations or to prepare them civilian life.
	In addition, there is an ongoing programme of independent research to generate a deeper understanding of mental health issues. Those returning home after an operational deployment will also have access to the welfare support services, such as chaplaincy and confidential support lines, which are also available to armed forces personnel other than those returning from deployment.

Army: Military Bases

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the changes to existing UK bases required in order to accommodate troops scheduled to return from Germany under the recommendations of the Strategic Defence and Security Review; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of such changes.

Nick Harvey: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him and the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Oliver Colvile) on 16 March 2011,  Official Report, column 361W.

Departmental Disclosure of Information

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many staff of his Department have been questioned as part of the inquiry established to determine responsibility for the unauthorised disclosure of the letter from the Secretary of State to the Prime Minister published in  T he Daily Telegraph on 28 September 2010;
	(2)  when he expects the inquiry to determine responsibility for the unauthorised disclosure of the letter from the Secretary of State to the Prime Minister published in  The Daily Telegraph on 28 September 2010 to report;
	(3)  what progress his Department has made in establishing responsibility for the unauthorised disclosure of the letter from the Secretary of State to the Prime Minister published in  The Daily Telegraph on 28 September 2010;
	(4)  how much the inquiry established to determine responsibility for the unauthorised disclosure of the letter from the Secretary of State to the Prime Minister published in  The Daily Telegraph on 28 September 2010 has cost to date;
	(5)  whether the inquiry established to determine responsibility for the unauthorised disclosure of the letter from the Secretary of State to the Prime Minister published in  The Daily Telegraph on 28 September 2010 has reported any interim findings; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: holding answer 21 March 2011
	 The Ministry of Defence investigation is ongoing. I am not prepared to comment further, nor to speculate when the inquiries may be complete.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Comptroller and Auditor General on the methodology of the National Audit Office for calculating the unfunded liability in his Department's budget over the next 10 years;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Comptroller and Auditor General on the estimate by  (a) the National Audit Office and  (b) his Department of the unfunded liability in his Department's budget over the next 10 years.

Liam Fox: In the future, as part of implementing the recommendations of the Gray Report, we plan to provide, in conjunction with the National Audit Office, an annual statement of the affordability of the equipment programme against the Defence budget. Officials continue to discuss with the National Audit Office how this might best be achieved.

HMS Gannet

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) payroll and  (b) running costs of the HMS Gannet search and rescue flight were in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10; and what the estimate is of such costs in 2010-11.

Nick Harvey: The payroll and running costs incurred by Navy Command in respect of HMS Gannet search and rescue flight are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			   FY 2008-09  FY 2009-10  FY 2010-11( 1) 
			 Service Manpower 2,021,785 1,867,239 2,151,369 
			 Civilian Manpower 197,011 222,262 234,283 
			 Running Costs 1,925,876 1,741,338 2,194,998 
			 Receipts -968,909 -853,489 -824,841 
			 Total 3,175,763 2,977,350 3,755,809 
			 (1) Financial year 2010-11 year to date figures have been extrapolated. 
		
	
	These figures reflect costs attributed directly to HMS Gannet's unit identification number: other costs such as IT and utilities may be incurred by the establishment but are not separately identifiable. Similarly, costs for Engineering Support to HMS Gannet fall to RNAS Culdrose under the Aviation Engineering Multi Activity Contract and are not separately identifiable. Receipts reflect search and rescue income from the Maritime Coastguard Agency and Scottish Ambulance Service.

Indonesia: Foreign Relations

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the state of defence and security relations between the UK and Indonesia; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Mid Sussex (Nicholas Soames) on 28 February 2011,  Official Report, columns 80-81W.

Nuclear Weapons

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the logistics plan for implementing the reduction in nuclear weapons numbers announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review to be completed; when it is intended to commence the return of warheads to the Atomic Weapons Establishment for decommissioning; and when the reduction in stockpile size will be complete.

Liam Fox: I will write to the hon. Member.

Rescue Services: Helicopters

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many search and rescue helicopters are in operation  (a) nationally and  (b) at each base; on which date each helicopter was first used; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: UK Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter capability is provided from a pool of 38 military and seven civilian operated helicopters based at 12 SAR bases, each of which is required to field at least one helicopter to incidents during their operating hours.
	Details of the SAR stations at which dedicated SAR helicopters are based and first dates of entry into service as are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Station  Number of aircraft at each station  In-service date 
			 RNAS Culdrose 2 Sea King Mk5 - 1980 
			 HMS Gannet (Prestwick) 2 (1)- 
			
			 RMB Chivenor 2 Sea King Mk3 - 1978; Sea King Mk3a - 1996 
			 DST Leconfield 2 (1)- 
			 Wattisham Airfield 2 (1)- 
			 RAF Boulmer 2 (1)- 
			 RAF Lossiemouth 2 (1)- 
			 RAF Valley 2 (1)- 
			
			 Sumburgh 2 Sikorsky S-92 - January 2008 
			 Stornaway 2 Sikorsky S-92 - October 2007 
			 Lee-on-Solent 2 AgustaWestland AW139 - July 2008 
			 Portland 1 AgustaWestland AW139 - April 2008 
			 (1) Indicates brace 
		
	
	For military SAR helicopters dates of entry into service are for the particular fleets of aircraft. Military SAR helicopters not dedicated to UK SAR tasks will undertake other military tasks, SAR training or depth maintenance.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the new employment model announced in the strategic defence and security review; what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the implementation of the model on  (a) former and  (b) current service personnel; what timetable he has set for the introduction of the model; and whether the introduction of the model will have any consequences for his Department's budget.

Andrew Robathan: The new employment model (NEM) programme aims to examine how we might strike a better balance between the requirements of service and the demands placed on service personnel and their families, adjusting where necessary to promote greater stability in service life while continuing to recognise the impact of mobility.
	Detailed work is due to commence in April 2011 and report in the summer of 2012. The intent is that policy changes will be implemented from April 2014, but it is too early at this stage to quantify the potential budgetary impact. We do not anticipate that any changes will affect service personnel who leave prior to the introduction of the NEM.

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what account he has taken of the Compact between the Government and Civil Society in policy development.

Liam Fox: The compact between the coalition Government and civil society organisations was agreed and launched on 16 December 2010. It was accompanied for the first time by guidance on accountability and transparency, ensuring that Government Departments as well as civil society organisations are clear about the level of commitment and the implications for not following the compact. The Cabinet Office considers policy that is relevant to civil society organisations from a compact perspective, ensuring that it is adhered to, and where it is not possible for whatever reason, that this is explained to the sector in an open and transparent manner.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Alcoholic Drinks

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on the contents of ministerial drinks cabinets since 12 May 2010.

Chris Grayling: This Department does not have any ministerial drinks cabinets so has spent nothing on their contents.

Autism

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to take into account the needs of people with autism in designing the assessment procedure for the personal independence payment.

Maria Miller: The assessment is being developed in collaboration with an independent group of specialists in health, social care and disability, including disabled people. We know it is essential that it accurately captures the needs of disabled people with autistic spectrum disorders and this is something that the development group is considering. For example, they believe that the new assessment should explicitly take account of the impact of a health condition or impairment, including autistic spectrum disorders, on an individual's ability to communicate. This would set it apart from the current DLA assessment. Both I and departmental officials have met with the National Autistic Society to discuss our reform proposals and to seek their views on how the new benefit can best support those with autism. We will continue to work with disabled people and their organisations as the detail of the assessment criteria and its operation is developed and tested.

Child Support

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will undertake research to establish the number of children who live in separated families for whom effective arrangements are in place.

Maria Miller: The Department for Work and Pensions regularly reviews its research requirements. Specific research proposals are considered under a range of criteria, including evidence priorities and value for money.
	The Green Paper 'Strengthening families, promoting parental responsibility: the future of child maintenance' has set out the coalition Government's vision for child maintenance. The research required to support these proposed policies will be considered against the wider departmental requirements.
	Currently more than three million children live in separated families and around 50% do not receive child maintenance.

Childcare

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people he expects to receive payments for childcare from the public purse to cover  (a) 90 per cent. or more,  (b) 80 per cent. or more and  (c) 70 per cent. or more of the cost of childcare in each of the next four years.

Maria Miller: The information available is in the table. It covers the number of households we expect to benefit from the child care element of tax credits in the current and next three years.
	The child care element of tax credits in 2010-11 covers up to 80% of child care costs of up to £175 a week for one child and £300 a week for two or more children. From April 2011 the proportion is 70%.
	Some families may have a lower proportion of their costs covered because either their costs exceed the maximum limits supported in tax credits, or because they are on the taper so have had some of their support tapered away. We cannot estimate the number of families in this position as we do not know the proportion of costs that the amounts paid out represent for all families.
	Some of these families will be able to disregard child care payments from their earnings in housing benefit and council tax benefit. Where this is the case they can see over 90% of their costs covered. Administrative data showing the number of people benefiting from the additional disregard in those benefits are not available.
	
		
			   Households benefiting from the child  care element of tax credits 
			 2010-11 485,000 
			 2011-12 500,000 
			 2012-13 510,000 
		
	
	We are currently unable to offer the requested information for estimates after the introduction of the universal credit in 2013. As the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions said at Second Reading of the Welfare Reform Bill, we will be supporting the costs of child care with an additional element in the universal credit and we will invest at least the same amount of money as in the present system. More detailed proposals are under consideration and will be announced during passage of the Bill.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on  (a) salaries and  (b) pension entitlements for special advisers in the financial year 2010-11 to date.

Chris Grayling: The Government publish, on a quarterly basis, the names of special advisers by Department, including each special adviser's pay band, and actual salary where this is £58,200 or higher, together with details of special advisers' pay ranges. The latest list, which includes an estimate of the total pay bill and pension costs for 2010-11, was published on the Cabinet Office website on 10 March 2011:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/special-adviser-data-releases
	Details of pension arrangements are set out in the Model contract for Special Advisers also published on the Cabinet Office website.

Disability Living Allowance

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely number of people affected by his proposal to change the qualifying period for disability living allowance from three months to six months.

Maria Miller: On 6 December 2010 we launched a consultation on the reform of disability living allowance with the key proposal of a new benefit, to be known as personal independence payment, which will be introduced from 2013. The consultation proposed that personal independence payment will have a six month qualifying period and a six month prospective test. The consultation closes on 14 February.
	Personal independence payment is designed to support individuals with long-term conditions. Other support is available to provide necessary financial support, such as NHS travel costs, free prescriptions, aids, and adaptations provided by the NHS or the local authority and through a range of social security benefits depending on their circumstances during this period, including access to employment and support allowance. As for disability living allowance, claims for personal independence payment may be made during the qualifying period meaning that dependent upon the nature of the impact of their disability claimants may not have to wait six months before payment can start.
	As the new assessment for personal independence payment has not yet been finalised no estimate is available for the numbers who will receive the new benefit and therefore will be affected by the change to the qualifying period.

Disability Living Allowance

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for the mobility component of disability living allowance were made by residents of care homes in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: We are unable to say how many residents of care homes in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham have applied for the mobility component of disability living allowance in each of the last five years.
	This is because our management information systems do not provide us with details of customers living in care homes or which council district they live in. Although this level of detail is held on the persons records we estimate that there would be a disproportionate cost to the Department in having to extract this information.

Employment and Support Allowance

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what period of time people eligible for employment and support allowance (ESA) will receive additional transitional payments where their incapacity benefit payments are more than their newly-assessed ESA rate.

Chris Grayling: People who move from old-style incapacity benefits to employment and support allowance will receive transitional protection payments if the level of employment and support allowance they receive is less than their incapacity benefits payments. This is to ensure that potentially vulnerable customers do not lose out as a result of the reassessment.
	Transitional payments will continue to be made until April 2020. Transitional payments will cease earlier if the annual uprating of employment and support allowance means that the amount of employment and support allowance to which a customer is entitled becomes equal to their previous award of incapacity benefits. If this was to happen before 2020, the customer would no longer need a transitional allowance.
	If a customer ceases to be entitled to employment and support allowance, for example if they become well enough to get a job, they will no longer be entitled to a transitional payment.

Employment Rights

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people worked on the enforcement of employment rights and related protections in the Health and Safety Executive in each of the last five years; how many people he expects to work on such matters in that body in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available in the specified format. HSE currently has nine authorised working time officers, whose role includes handling complaints received about provisions under the Working Time Regulations 1998 that HSE enforce. In addition, HSE inspectors are authorised to enforce the same provisions. We do not envisage any significant change to the resources devoted to this work over the next three years.

Poverty and Social Exclusion

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  with reference to the conclusions of the 3037th Employment, Social, Health and Consumer Affairs Council meeting on the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion, what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the UK of the implementation of the European framework for social and territorial cohesion;
	(2)  whether the Employment Council conclusions on the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion require the UK to finalise national targets on social inclusion and poverty; what assessment he has made of the effect on the UK of the actions expected of member states; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Council Conclusions on the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion carries forward the June 2010 European Council Conclusions on the Europe 2020 Strategy for Jobs and Growth, which ask member states to finalise their national targets taking into account individual starting positions, national circumstances and national decision-making procedures.
	The Child Poverty Act sets clear targets for the Government in respect of child poverty. This will be our contribution to the EU wide target on poverty and social exclusion in the National Reform Programme which will be submitted to the Commission in April 2011.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to her question number 44416 on 9 March 2011,  Official Report, column 1080W.

Remploy

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by Remploy on hotel and conference facilities in each year since 2005.

Maria Miller: To ensure Remploy can continue to operate its Modernisation Plan funding and to reflect the fiscal constraints faced by Government since May 2010 the organisation has either not attended or curtailed their presence at nine conference/exhibitions. A balance will be struck between the need to promote the organisation's work and the need for fiscal constraint.
	Remploy are in discussions with DWP and Buying Solutions to explore how they may use Government hotel and travel booking services to make further savings on expenditure. Buying Solutions is the professional buying organisation that provides central procurement services as part of the efficiency and reform group of the Cabinet Office.
	The information that is available is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Meeting and conference costs 323,000 483,000 1,012,000 657,000 415,000 
			 Public transport costs including hotels and meals 2,875,751 3,280,026 3,447,133 3,495,410 3,150,597 
			 Of which: hotel and meals (1)- - - - 1,143,000 
			 1 Prior to 2009, Remploy did not record expenditure on hotels separately, when an automated expenses system was introduced in the company. For the years 2005-06 to 2007-08, the table therefore provides overall expenditure under the travel classification which includes hotels and meals.

Remploy

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people Remploy employment services has assisted to find  (a) part-time and  (b) full-time employment lasting more than (i) three months, (b) six months and (iii) a year in each of the last five years.

Maria Miller: Full-time job starts are counted on vacancies of 16 hours or more per week. Part-time job starts are for vacancies offering less than 16 hours per week.
	The figures shown include the full range of services delivered through Remploy Employment Services including Workstep and Work Choice that replaced Workstep in October 2010.
	Please note that numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10, therefore the totals may not add up due to rounding.
	The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Job starts in the year  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Full-time job starts in work longer than 13 weeks and less than six months 560 760 650 740 740 
			 Full-time job starts in work longer than six months and less than 12 months 790 750 580 810 1,200 
			 Full-time job starts in work longer than 12 months 1,600 1,880 2,880 2,610 2,840 
			 Full-time job starts total in work in excess of 13 weeks 2,950 3,400 4,110 4,170 4,780 
			   
			 Part-time job starts in work longer than 13 weeks and less than six months 20 40 450 100 50 
			 Part-time job starts in work longer than six months and less than 12 months 20 40 40 50 60 
			 Part-time job starts in work longer than 12 months 50 100 220 180 130 
			 Part-time job starts total in excess of 13 weeks 90 170 310 330 230

Social Security Benefits

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's impact assessment on fraud penalties and sanctions, how many cases resulting in  (a) a £350 minimum fine and  (b) a £50 civil penalty he expects there to be in each year to 2014-15.

Chris Grayling: Estimates of the number of cases resulting in  (a) a £350 minimum fine and  (b) a £50 civil penalty are set out in the following table. These take into account historical sanction data, increasing the number of fraud investigators, improving use of data and analytics and introducing a penalty for attempted fraud. The measures will be introduced in 2012.
	
		
			   2012-13  2013-14  2014-15 
			 £350 minimum fine(1) 42,000 45,000 47,000 
			 £50 civil penalty 513,000 542,000 571,000 
			 (1) This figure includes those who will have a fixed £350 penalty where the overpayment is up to £700, as well as those above this where the penalty will be 50% of the benefit overpayment, subject to a maximum of £2,000. Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Social Security Benefits: Children

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the effect on levels of access by children to payments under  (a) the proposal made of payment to couple families with children and  (b) the existing tax credit system.

Maria Miller: The universal credit award is intended to be paid as a single amount per household, including couple households. We are allowing members of the couple to decide between them whether the money goes into a joint account or if it is received by one or other of them. It is then for the household to decide who in the family has access to funds and how any money, including benefit income and wages, is used to budget for household costs. There may be exceptional cases that require state intervention to ensure that the rest of the family, including the children, benefit from the payment: we are considering the best ways of providing support in those cases.
	In the current tax credit system, certain elements are paid to the parent who is identified as the main carer for the children but the way in which funds are actually used will similarly depend on household management of finances.

Social Security Benefits: Pay Methods

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each postcode area of Truro and Falmouth constituency were paid benefits of each type by girocheque in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available in the format requested as data is not held by postcode areas and relates to benefit accounts rather than people.
	As at September 2010, there were 410 pension or benefit accounts paid by cheque in the Truro and Falmouth constituency. This was made up of 180 state pension and/or pension credit accounts, and 220 other benefit accounts.
	Due to the very small numbers involved, it would be inappropriate to break down figures any further as this could potentially compromise the privacy of individual customers.

Stress

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements are in place in his Department to  (a) reduce levels of work-based stress and  (b) provide assistance to staff diagnosed with such stress.

Chris Grayling: DWP has suitable and sufficient policies and arrangements in place to tackle work-related stress.
	Preventative measures include:
	The Department's Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) which provides staff and managers with a range of support services including workshops and awareness training on, among other things:
	preventing pressure becoming stress
	developing strategies to cope with change
	building resilience
	The DWP 'live well work well' well-being programme which provides employees with a wealth of on-site and on-line help and advice on identifying, and practical ways to reduce, work related stress.
	Support measures include:
	Organisationally, the Annual Staff Survey identifies work-related stress with managers responsible for creating focus groups and improvement action planning for their teams to deal with specific issues identified.
	Individually, line managers are trained to identify and manage stress and are required to complete individual stress risk assessments for their staff where appropriate.
	The EAP also provides access to a free 24 hour helpline, including information and counselling, to support individuals with stress related issues.
	The Department's Occupational Health service also provides advice to managers and employees, from professional occupational health clinicians, to help the employee manage their condition better at work or to return to work from sick leave. This would include advice on practical adjustments or additional measures that can be taken to support the employee.

Unemployment: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency who have been out of work for more than 12 months.

Chris Grayling: This is a matter for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), however I have been asked to reply.
	ONS compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, due to sample size estimates of unemployment for the requested duration and geography are not available. As an alternative ONS have provided the number of persons claiming jobseeker's allowance for the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.
	There were 250 people resident in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency in receipt of jobseeker's allowance for over 12 months in January 2011.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Universal Credit

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost in administration incurred in dividing payments of universal credit between both partners in two-couple households in the first two years of its operation.

Chris Grayling: One of the key aims of universal credit will be to significantly reduce the administration costs. We are at the moment designing the detailed processes so it is not yet possible to estimate the administrative costs associated with a universal credit payment.

Universal Credit: Equality

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of universal credit on equality between men and women.

Chris Grayling: We published a universal credit equality impact assessment on 8 March 2011, this is available on the Department for Work and Pensions website:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-universal-credit-wr2011.pdf

Welfare State: Reform

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  with reference to paragraph 31 of his Department's impact assessment on conditionality measures in the Welfare Reform Bill what assessment he has made of potential future trends in the number of  (a) sanctions and  (b) disentitlement decisions;
	(2)  with reference to his Department's impact assessment on conditionality measures in the Welfare Reform Bill, how many people he estimates will receive a benefit sanction under each level of financial penalty in each year to 2015-16.

Chris Grayling: The Welfare Reform Bill sets the framework for changes to the application of sanctions under existing benefits and also introduces a framework for the application of conditionality and sanctions under universal credit. These reforms will elicit behavioural responses that are difficult to predict. Consequently, the Department has not forecast the number of benefit sanctions or disentitlements.
	However, the Department does hold data on the annual number of sanctions and disentitlements received by jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants. In 2009-10 there were:
	159,950 decisions to impose a sanction;
	331,230 decisions to disentitle (eg for claimants who fail to actively seek or be available for work);
	Totalling 491,180 sanction and disentitlement decisions.

Winter Fuel Payments

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many winter fuel payments were made to households in  (a) England,  (b) the North East,  (c) Teesside and  (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Steve Webb: The information that is available is in the table.
	
		
			  The number of households receiving a winter fuel payment 
			   England  North East Government office region  Tees Valley  Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland parliamentary constituency 
			 2002-03 6,970,630 379,950 93,235 13,560 
			 2003-04 7,017,830 381,370 93,675 13,740 
			 2004-05 7,196,990 387,830 95,285 14,120 
			 2006-07 7,405,680 396,270 97,370 14,740 
			 2007-08 7,585,940 405,300 99,750 15,180 
			 2008-09 7,713,430 410,170 101,060 15,470 
			 2009-10 7,862,140 417,090 102,490 15,710 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five up to 2004-05 and from 2006-07 onwards to the nearest 10. 2. Figures for 2009-10 are based on May 2010 parliamentary constituency boundaries. 3. Household figures for 2005-06 have been withdrawn pending a review of the figures. The revised figures will be placed in the Commons Library shortly. 4. Household figures are not available prior to 2002-03. 5. Data for England are the sum of the English Government office regions. 6. Data for Tees Valley are the sum of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton authorities. 7. The latest figures for winter fuel payments are published at: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wfp  Source:  DWP Information Directorate 100% data

Yorkshire and the Humber

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what plans he has to reduce the number of staff in the employment service in Sheffield in the next three years; and what information on this his Department has made available to hon. Members;
	(2)  how many  (a) (i) compulsory and (ii) voluntary redundancies and  (b) early releases his Department intends to implement in (A) Sheffield and (B) Yorkshire and the Humber in the next three years;
	(3)  what information his Department has given to staff of his Department in  (a) Sheffield and  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber in relation to (i) the non-filling of existing vacancies, (ii) compulsory redundancy and (iii) voluntary redundancy, severance or early release; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The 2010 spending review settlement will result in the Department's core budget being reduced by 26% in real terms over the four years to 2014-15, although, the Department will receive substantial extra resources to deliver a range of new measures.
	This outcome is likely to result in staffing being reduced in some areas of the Department and increased in others, and at different rates. More detailed work is under way to allocate resources to the different parts of the Department, develop more detailed plans and assess the resulting staffing levels. Work on the future staffing position will also take account of estimated staff turnover rates and the potential for internal and external redeployment. It is not therefore possible to provide estimates of future staff numbers or potential redundancies in Sheffield or the wider Yorkshire area at this stage.
	There have been departmental wide communications on the spending review settlement and potential impacts on overall staff numbers. There have been no additional formal communications specific to Sheffield or Yorkshire and the Humber.

TRANSPORT

ATOL Scheme

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the proportion of those buying flight-based holidays who will be protected under the revised ATOL scheme.

Theresa Villiers: The Civil Aviation Authority administers the ATOL scheme and estimate that in 2009-10 some 21 million holiday makers were protected by it.
	On 3 February 2011, I announced to the House the Government's in principle decision to reform ATOL to improve protection for consumers in a changing holiday market. The reforms would extend the ATOL scheme to Flight Plus holidays sold by travel agents and tour operators. Such trips closely resemble package holidays but are not covered by the existing legal definition and so currently fall outside ATOL.
	Subject to consultation, the intention is for the reforms to be implemented by new secondary legislation in late 2011 or early 2012. It is estimated that, over time, this will ensure around an additional 6 million holidays per year benefit from full ATOL protection.

Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to relocate  (a) staff and  (b) offices of his Department to Brighton; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport comprises DfT (Central), the headquarters functions responsible mainly for policy issues, and seven executive agencies responsible for the delivery of various services.
	Department for Transport Central has no current plans to relocate staff or offices to Brighton. The Department for Transport (including our Executive Agencies) will consider opportunities for relocation as they arise, for example, through departmental reorganisation and reviews of estates requirements.

Cardiff-Ebbw Vale Railway Line: Electrification

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the statement of 1 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 185-87, on Intercity Express and rail electrification, what plans he has for the electrification of the Cardiff to Ebbw Vale line; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 7 March 2011
	The Department for Transport has committed to work with the Welsh Assembly Government to develop a business case for the electrification of the key valley commuter lines north of Cardiff via Pontypridd and Caerphilly to Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Coryton and Rhymney, as well as the lines to Penarth and Barry Island to the west. There is no current proposal for electrification of the line from Newport to Ebbw Vale.

Departmental Billing

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in January and February 2011.

Norman Baker: The 10 day target has been replaced with a five day target, and information is recorded on this basis.
	The percentage of invoices paid within five days of receipt for the Department and its seven Agencies for January 2011 is published on the Department's website at the following address:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/procurement/dft/
	The data for February are expected to be available shortly.

Departmental Expenditure

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what expenditure  (a) his Department and  (b) each public body sponsored by his Department incurred on engaging external audit services in each of the last three years; and to which service providers such payments were made in each year.

Norman Baker: The information requested is in the following tables:
	The auditors of DFT(c) are the National Audit Office (NAO). The notional fees for the NAO's audit services are as follows:
	 DFT(c)
	
		
			  DFT(c) 
			   Expenditure (£)  Of which: 
			 2009-10 855,000 (1)112,000 
			 2008-09 850,500 (2)99,500 
			 2007-08 737,000  
			 (1) To review the transitional steps undertaken by the Department to move from UK Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). (2) To review the transitional steps undertaken by the Department to move from UK GAAP to IFRS. 
		
	
	The NAO also performs other statutory audit activity, including value for money and assurance work, at no cost to the Department.
	 DSA
	In each of the last three years, DSA has engaged the NAO to conduct an annual external audit. The costs are shown as follows:
	
		
			  D SA 
			   Cost (£) 
			 2009-10 69,000 
			 2008-09 64,000 
			 2007-08 55,000 
		
	
	 DVLA
	The following table shows the expenditure the DVLA incurred on engaging external audit services from the NAO for the last three financial years.
	
		
			  DVLA 
			   Cost (£) 
			 2007-08 292,000 
			 2008-09 135,000 
			 2009-10 136,000 
		
	
	 GCDA
	The GCDA auditors are the NAO:
	
		
			  GCDA 
			   £ 
			 2009-10 49,000 
			 2008-09 47,000 
			 2007-08 30,000 
		
	
	 HA
	HA incurred the following audit costs with the NAO in each of the last three financial years as follows:
	
		
			  HA 
			  £ 
			   Actual costs (including VAT)  Notional costs (recorded in accounts but without physical payment) 
			 2007-08 13,000.00 312,000.00 
			 2008-09 14,000.00 333,000.00 
			 2009-10 20,400.00 314,000.00 
		
	
	There are no other external audit costs.
	 MCA
	Taken from the MCA's accounts for the past three financial years.
	 External auditors
	The statutory audit of the MCA's financial statements is undertaken by the NAO under the provisions of the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000.
	The cost of audit services for the financial year ending 31 March 2010 was £85,000. No other fee was received in respect of non-statutory work.
	The cost of audit services for the financial year ending 31 March 2009 was £63,000 plus £10,000 in respect of the implementation of IFRS. The auditors received no remuneration for non audit services.
	The cost of audit services for the financial year ending 31 March 2008 was £63,000. The auditors received no remuneration for non audit services.
	 VCA
	Audit undertaken by the NAO.
	2009-10: £46,000
	2008-09: The notional cost of audit services in 2008-2009 was £38,000 plus an additional notional cost of £7,500 for undertaking an additional audit of VCA's accounts under the new IFRS.
	2007-08: £37,000. No fees, actual or notional, were incurred for non audit work.
	 VOSA
	The VOSA has spent the following amount on external auditing services in each of the last three years:
	
		
			  VOSA 
			   £ 
			 2009-10 58,000 
			 2008-09 77,000 
			 2007-08 59,000 
		
	
	All payments were made to the NAO.
	 NDPBs
	 BTP
	NAO audit BTP accounts and the charges from them for external audit services and other services in the last three financial years are as follows:
	
		
			  BTP 
			   £ 
			 2009-10 (1)145,000 
			 2008-09 (2)140,000 
			 2007-08 110,000 
			 (1) Audit (2 )Audit and £10,000 for IFRS Restatement 
		
	
	The charge for 2010-11 is expected to be £110,000
	 DOR and BRB (Residuary)
	
		
			  DOR and BRB (Residuary) 
			Supplier  Cost (£) 
			 DOR 2007-08 Nil (1)0 
			  2008-09 Nil (1)0 
			  2009-10 PwC 10,000 
			 
			 East Coast Main Line Company 2007-08 Nil (1)0 
			  2008-09 Nil (1)0 
			  2009-10 PwC 67,500 
			 
			 BRB (Residuary) Ltd. 2007-08 PwC 49,000 
			  2008-09 PwC 126,000 
			  2009-10 PwC 139,000 
			 (1) Company dormant 
		
	
	The large increase in BRBR's costs from 2008-09 arise as a result of new subsidiaries of BRBR, that need to be audited, being incorporated.
	 GLF
	The "external audit" of the GLF is undertaken by the NAO. The payment is made as a single payment out of the GLF which covers all three of the GLAs (Northern Lighthouse Board, Trinity House, Commissioners of Irish Lights). The audit fee for 2009-10 was £135,000, 2008-09 £126,000 and 2007-08 £131,000.
	 HS2 Ltd.
	HS2 Ltd's external auditors are Thornton Springer LLP.
	The cost in 2009-10 was £10,575 (inc VAT).
	 PF
	2008-09: £23,000 paid to NAO including £1,500 for reviewing adjustments required for compliance with IFRS.
	2009-10: £23,000 paid to the NAO including £1,500 for reviewing adjustments required for compliance with IFRS.
	 RHC
	Nil
	 RFA
	
		
			  RFA 
			  NAO  £ 
			 2007-08 4,100 
			 2008-09 13,200 
			 2009-10 12,000 
		
	
	 Key:
	DFT(c)-Department for Transport (Centre)
	DSA-Driving Standards Agency
	DVLA-Driver, Vehicle and Licensing Agency
	GCDA-Government Car and Despatch Agency
	HA-Highways Agency
	MCA-Maritime and Coastguard Agency
	VCA-Vehicle Certification Agency
	VOSA-Vehicle and Operator Services Agency
	BTP-British Transport Police
	DOR-Directly Operated Railways
	BRB-British Railways Board (Residuary) Ltd.
	GLF-General Lighthouse Fund
	HS2-High Speed 2
	PF-Passenger Focus
	RHC-Railway Heritage Committee
	RFA-Renewable Fuels Agency

Departmental Public Bodies

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 9-10W, on the public bodies reform programme, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department net of costs incurred in the assumption of additional departmental responsibilities to accrue from  (a) the abolition of six public bodies within his Department's area of responsibility and  (b) the change in function of one such body.

Norman Baker: holding answer 21 March 2011
	The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Mr Maude) issued a written ministerial statement on 16 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 9-10W, updating Parliament on progress on public bodies reform. That statement also announced that Government Departments estimate cumulative administrative savings of at least £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies reform over the spending review period.
	The Department for Transport provided estimated net administrative savings from reform of its public bodies to the Cabinet Office for inclusion in the 16 March announcement. These figures are subject to ongoing refinement as the detail of the changes to all bodies has not yet been finalised, but anticipated overall net administrative savings are around £21 million over the spending review period (2011-12 to 2014-15). This figure takes account of the cost of additional departmental responsibilities as a result of the changes.

Fuels: Prices

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made an assessment of the effect of rising oil prices on the take-up of hybrid vehicles.

Norman Baker: There are many factors which affect the take-up of hybrid and other low carbon vehicles. These include: EU regulations on CO2 from cars, vehicle excise duty rates, the company car tax regime, as well as oil prices as reflected in the price of fuel at the pump.
	The recent spending review announced that the Government have made provision of over £400 million for measures to promote the uptake of ultra-low carbon vehicle technologies. These measures include support for consumer incentives, development of recharging infrastructure, and a programme of research and development work.

Highways Agency: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate has been made of the level of savings arising from better management of Highways Agency contracts in  (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2011-12,  (c) 2012-13,  (d) 2013-14 and  (e) 2014-15.

Michael Penning: I refer the hon. Member to my answers of 16 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 348-9W and 22 March 2011,  Official Report, column 1056W, which explain that savings are implicit in future year indicative budgets which are soon to be published in the 2011-12 Highways Agency Business Plan at the end of this month. A key enabler to successful delivery of the efficiency savings will be the introduction of new contracts as well as continued effectiveness of contract management. At this stage, it is difficult to separate the future efficiencies gained through contract management between the two tools.
	The Highways Agency is working on plans, including improvements in contract management, to make the necessary reductions in expenditure within the spending review period ending in 2014-15.

Local Government Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish his Department's impact assessment in respect of the reduction in local government resource grants.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport did not prepare an Impact Assessment in respect of the reduction in local government resource grants. Spending proposals do not generally require an Impact Assessment, as they are developed through a business case process. Further information on business case process can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/data_greenbook_business.htm
	In addition, the Equality Impact Assessment undertaken by the Department for the local authority finance simplification undertaken as part of the spending review is available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/adobepdf/165220-/equalityia.pdf

Railways: Construction

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people  (a) have applied for the Exceptional Hardship Fund (EHS) associated with High Speed Two and  (b) have been approved for the EHS in (i) the UK and (ii) Tamworth constituency to date.

Philip Hammond: The Exceptional Hardship Scheme has, as of 16 March, received 154 applications. Decisions have been taken on 123 of them. 31 applications have been accepted so far and 92 applications have been rejected. Of the 31 accepted applications, two were for properties in the Tamworth constituency.

Railways: Crime

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents of crime at each rail station in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) Solihull constituency were reported in each of the last five years.

Theresa Villiers: This information is not held by the Department for Transport, but by the British Transport Police who can be contacted at:
	25 Camden Road
	London
	NW1 9LN
	or by e-mail at:
	parliament@btp.pnn.police.uk

Railways: Electrification

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how long he expects the Severn Tunnel to be closed during electrification of the Great Western Main Line; and at what stage during the electrification process this will take place.

Theresa Villiers: Network Rail has confirmed that the Severn Tunnel is capable of accommodating electrification, and is continuing to develop a detailed solution for provision of wiring through the tunnel that is both cost effective and keeps passenger disruption to a minimum. That process is ongoing and, until further work is completed, it is not possible to confirm the extent or timing of the tunnel works.

Railways: Fares

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the level of fare evasion on passenger rail services operated by London Midland Trains for each of the last five years.

Theresa Villiers: London Midland has provided information to officials in the Department for Transport on the level of ticketless travel as a percentage of passenger revenue. No information is available as to what proportion of ticketless travel on London Midland is due to sustained evasion of fares by passengers. London Midland commenced operation in November 2007.
	London Midland has provided the following data:
	
		
			   Ticketless travel as percentage of passenger revenue 
			  2008  
			 April to June 1.7 
			 July to September 1.4 
			 October to December 1.4 
			   
			  2009  
			 April to June 1.6 
			 July to September 1.8 
			 October to December 1.6 
			   
			  2010  
			 January to March 1.9 
			 April to June 1.4 
			 July to September 2.2 
			 October to December 2.1 
			  Source: London Midland

Railways: Greater London

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the Mayor for London and  (b) train operators on the overcharging of passengers using Oyster pay-as-you-go cards; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: There have been no discussions between the Department for Transport and the Mayor of London on this matter. The operation of the Oyster pay-as-you-go system is a matter for the Mayor and Transport for London. The hon. Member may wish to write to the managing director of London Underground and London Rail, Mike Brown, at:
	London Underground
	55 Broadway
	London
	NW1 3HG

Railways: Greater London

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers using Oyster pay-as-you-go cards have been overcharged on London rail services in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. This is a matter for the Mayor and Transport for London. The hon. Member may wish to write to the managing director of London Underground and London Rail, Mike Brown, at:
	London Underground
	55 Broadway
	London
	NW1 3HG

Renewables Fuel Agency

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what  (a) costs will be incurred and  (b) savings will be made from abolishing the Renewables Fuel Agency in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14 and (v) 2014-15;
	(2)  what residual functions will remain following the abolition of the Renewables Fuel Agency; which organisation will carry out each such function; what the estimated costs of each such function are; and what transfer of funds will be made to each organisation to carry out each such function;
	(3)  what the budget for the Renewables Fuel Agency  (a) was in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11 and  (b) will be in (A) 2011-12, (B) 2012-13, (C) 2013-14 and (D) 2014-15.

Norman Baker: The Renewable Fuels Agency's (RFA) budget in 2009-10 was £1.43 million and in 2010-11 it was £1.75 million.
	On 14 October 2010, as part of the cross-Government review of Public Bodies, it was announced that the Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) would be abolished and its functions transferred to Department for Transport (DfT).
	To manage this process as smoothly as possible, on 24 February 2011 the Office of the Renewable Fuels Agency (Dissolution and Transfer of Functions) Order 2011 was laid. This Order will dissolve the RFA and transfer its functions to the Secretary of State for Transport on 1 April, to align with the financial year break. From 2011-12, budgeting for the functions previously carried out by the RFA will be included in Department for Transport business planning.
	The Order transfers all the functions of the RFA and will deliver administrative efficiencies without compromise to the important regulatory role that the RFA currently provides. It introduces no new business costs. Exact future costs and savings are inherently uncertain, however, transitional costs are currently estimated at £100,000 and these would likely be incurred in financial years 2011-12 and 2012-13. We intend that by 2014-15, the cost of administering the RTFO scheme will be reduced by around a third in real terms against the current baseline.

Rescue Services: Helicopters

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had on the provision of search and rescue helicopters.

Michael Penning: Recent discussions have been held with officials, who are conducting a series of discussions with search and rescue industry representatives.

Rescue Services: Helicopters

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had on potential long-term procurement options for search and rescue helicopters; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: Recent discussions have been held with officials, who are subsequently conducting a series of discussions with search and rescue industry representatives to establish what short term procurement options may be available for the future provision of search and rescue helicopters. We have yet to engage with industry on long term options. We are considering those options and will make a statement in due course.

Roads: Bedfordshire

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what date he expects Central Bedfordshire Council to have received additional funding to repair potholes on roads in its area; and how much it will receive.

Norman Baker: holding answer 21 March 2011
	The Secretary of State for Transport wrote to leaders of all local highway authorities in England on 23 February 2011 setting out the conditions for exceptional additional funding to repair damage caused by the severe winter weather. This requested that authorities responded by 16 March 2011 confirming their acceptance to these conditions.
	We are now collating the responses received and expect to inform authorities, including central Bedfordshire, of their allocations shortly. As we have explained, we intend to distribute the funds formulaically based on the Department's existing highways maintenance capital funding formula which takes into account road length and condition.

Roads: Noise

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that resurfacing of the A19 near Elwick, Teesside is undertaken with materials that help to reduce the noise of traffic.

Michael Penning: The A19 in the vicinity of Elwick forms part of the A168/A19 Design Build Finance Operate contract and is operated and maintained by Autolink Concessionaires (A19) Ltd on behalf of the Highways Agency. The contract requires Autolink to maintain the road to standards that existed at the time the contract was signed in 1996. These standards did not require the use of low-noise surfacing materials.
	The northbound carriageway of the A19 is being resurfaced between the A689 and A179 junctions, commencing on 19 June 2011 for a period of approximately three weeks. Autolink Concessionaires do not propose to use low-noise surfacing for these maintenance works.

Severn River Crossing: Tolls

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on arrangements for collection of Severn Crossing tolls after the end of the current concession.

Michael Penning: There have not been any recent discussions held between the Secretary of State for Transport or Ministers, with the Welsh Assembly Government on the Severn Crossing Tolls.

Severn River Crossing: Tolls

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to transfer responsibility for the collection of tolls on the Severn Crossing to the Welsh Assembly Government after the end of the current concession.

Michael Penning: No decisions have been made regarding the future of the Severn Crossings once the concession ends in 2017.

Severn River Crossing: Tolls

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether revenue from tolls on the Severn Crossing will be hypothecated for any purpose after the end of the current concession.

Michael Penning: No decisions have been made regarding the future of the Severn crossings once the concession ends in 2017.

West Coast Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 14 March 2011,  Official Report, column 106W, on the West Coast Railway Line: rolling stock, what assessment his Department has made of the costs and benefits of the introduction of double deck passenger trains on the West Coast Main Line compared to those of constructing a new high speed rail line.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 18 March 2011
	In 2007, Network Rail released the Preliminary Evaluation of Double Deck and Extra Long Train Operations report that concluded that the costs of introducing double deck passenger trains on the existing West Coast Main Line outweighed the benefits. The introduction of double deck trains was dismissed at the preliminary sift of options to evaluate stage of the High Speed Rail Strategic Alternatives study because of the prohibitive costs identified in the Network Rail report.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burma: Elections

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the conduct of the recent elections in Burma.

Jeremy Browne: Although voting on the day was calm, the UK Government received widespread reports of severe vote manipulation, particularly through the use of additional advanced votes after the count had officially closed and coercion of voters. Moreover, we have serious misgivings over the regime's official results. The Election Commission initially reported that in some constituencies voter turnout exceeded 100% and in Kachin state where the regime had banned the elections, two pro-government candidates were declared winners.
	Before any votes were cast, 25% of seats in the legislature were reserved for the military, the regime's proxy political party received privileged access to state resources, and Aung San Suu Kyi was excluded from the process.
	Under such circumstances, there is no doubt that elections were not free, fair or inclusive.

Council of Ministers

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the forthcoming UK Chairmanship of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers; what programmes, conferences and activities he has planned for the UK Chairmanship; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: Programmes, conferences and activities for the UK Chairmanship of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers are currently under discussion. No costings have yet been agreed. We will formally announce our Chairmanship priorities at our handover meeting with the outgoing Chairmanship (Ukraine). This will probably take place in early November 2011.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Elections

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department is providing to the Democratic Republic of Congo in preparation for its presidential and parliamentary elections.

Henry Bellingham: Our ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has met Government figures including the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister to press for elections to be free, fair and well administered. Our ambassador has also recently met the leaders of the main opposition parties and our embassy continues to monitor the human rights situation pertaining to freedom of expression around the elections.
	Under UN Security Council resolution 1925, the United Nations Organisation Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) is mandated to provide logistical and technical support for the elections. The UK's assessed contribution to MONUSCO is around £62 million per year.
	The Department for International Development is one of the major donors to the 2007-13 electoral cycle. This contribution is focused on voter registration, strengthening the electoral commission, as well as funding civil society to provide education. It is aimed at ensuring that everyone has the right to vote, and encouraging as wide a participation as possible.

Iran: Politics and Government

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the removal of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from a clerical assembly in Iran; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that removal on the political situation in that country.

William Hague: We assess that Ayatollah Rafsanjani's decision to relinquish the chairmanship of the Assembly of Experts will not have a significant impact on Iran's internal and external policies, which remain a serious concern for the international community.

Iran: Sanctions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on the effectiveness of the Iranian sanctions programme imposed by the international community in meeting its objectives; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We, and our E3+3 partners, are gravely concerned by the Iranian nuclear programme. We continue to pursue a diplomatic solution to the issue, through the dual track policy of pressure and engagement.
	Sanctions are having an impact and have slowed the programme. But Iran has yet to resolve our concerns on meeting its obligations. So we believe further pressure will be required.

Japan: Natural Disasters

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Japanese counterpart in relation to the recent earthquake and tsunami.

Jeremy Browne: The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs spoke on the telephone to the Japanese Foreign Minister on 12 and 13 March to discuss the situation following the earthquake and tsunami to offer UK assistance and to express his condolences.
	The Secretary of State also held a meeting with the Japanese Foreign Minister at the G8 Foreign Ministers in Paris on 14 March and reiterated the Government's offer of assistance.

Libya

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff of his Department have been  (a) sent to and  (b) evacuated from Libya in the last three weeks.

Alistair Burt: In order to assist the recent evacuation of British nationals from Libya, in the period up to 28 February we deployed five Rapid Deployment Teams, in total 26 staff, to reinforce the approximately 80 Foreign and Commonwealth Office employees based in our embassy in Tripoli. Since then, a sixth Rapid Deployment Team has been deployed. As a result of the suspension in operations at our embassy on 26 February 2011, all of the British embassy staff not employed locally in Libya have left. A small team of officials recently dispatched to eastern Libya was withdrawn on 6 March 2011.

Libya: British Nationals Abroad

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made provision for UK nationals who have elected to stay in Libya to receive consular advice should they require it.

Alistair Burt: In the light of the deteriorating situation in Libya we have temporarily suspended the operations of our embassy in Tripoli. The Turkish Government are now temporarily representing British consular interests in Libya. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises against all travel to Libya. We believe that the vast majority of British nationals who want to leave have now left Libya, through commercial means, Government charters and military evacuations. We urge any remaining British nationals in Libya to leave as soon as they can safely do so and not to rely on further assisted evacuations. We have encouraged British nationals in Libya to register with us to allow us to maintain contact with them. We have maintained contact with all British nationals we know of who have chosen to stay in Libya to advise them of exit options and assist them should they wish to leave.

Libya: Politics and Government

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the decision was taken to hold the COBR meeting on Libya on 24 February 2011.

William Hague: The decision that Cabinet Office briefing room (COBR) should meet on 24 February 2011 was taken in the early hours of 24 February 2011 on the grounds that the situation in Libya warranted it. It has met frequently since then.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office crisis centre has been staffed to cover the growing unrest in Libya from 19 February 2011. I was in frequent contact with ministerial colleagues including my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Defence and Secretary of State for International Development as the situation in Libya developed.

Mexico: Smuggling

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on  (a) sale of weapons to drugs gangs in Mexico and  (b) importing of illegal drugs.

Alistair Burt: There is no record of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs discussing either topic with his US counterpart.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the firing of shells by Hamas into the Eshkol region, of Israel on 19 March 2011; whether he  (a) has taken steps and  (b) plans to take steps in the next six months at the United Nations in respect of this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: As I said in my statement on 21 March 2011, following the recent actions by Hamas:
	"I condemn the barrage of mortars on southern Israel from Gaza in recent days. The indiscriminate targeting of Israeli citizens, as they celebrated the Jewish festival of Purim, is unacceptable. The firing of over 50 mortars in the space of a few hours, as well as a Grad rocket on Ashkelon that caused injury and damage, signals a further, worrying escalation in the situation at a time when international efforts are focused on getting Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table. Hamas must halt these strikes immediately, and rein in other militant factions in Gaza.
	These attacks come against the backdrop of last week's footage of Hamas security forces assaulting students and other peaceful demonstrators in Gaza. Over the weekend Hamas also targeted local and foreign media organisations. The people of Gaza, like the people across the region, have an absolute right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Hamas should not think that while the attention of the world is elsewhere we will turn a blind eye to their actions."

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had recent discussions with the Arab League on the firing of shells and rockets by Hamas into Israel; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are in close contact with the Arab League at ministerial and official level. Recent contacts have focused on the situation in Libya. However, I have underlined our views in public on the recent mortar attacks on southern Israel.
	I made the following statement on 21 March 2011:
	"I condemn the barrage of mortars on southern Israel from Gaza in recent days. The indiscriminate targeting of Israeli citizens, as they celebrated the Jewish festival of Purim, is unacceptable. The firing of over 50 mortars in the space of a few hours, as well as a Grad rocket on Ashkelon that caused injury and damage, signals a further, worrying escalation in the situation at a time when international efforts are focused on getting Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table. Hamas must halt these strikes immediately, and rein in other militant factions in Gaza.
	These attacks come against the backdrop of last week's footage of Hamas security forces assaulting students and other peaceful demonstrators in Gaza. Over the weekend Hamas also targeted local and foreign media organisations. The people of Gaza, like the people across the region, have an absolute right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Hamas should not think that while the attention of the world is elsewhere we will turn a blind eye to their actions."

Middle East: Politics and Government

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of recent pro-democracy protests in  (a) the Middle East and  (b) North Africa; what discussions he has had at the United Nations on each such case; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: As the Secretary of State said on 17 March 2011,  Official Report, columns 494-83, an unprecedented wave of change is now sweeping across the Arab world. Almost every middle eastern country has been affected at the same time by demands for greater political openness and democratic freedom. In Egypt and Tunisia, it has led to new interim governments and the hope of a more democratic future. In Libya, legitimate protest has been followed by bloody civil strife at the hands of a government willing to countenance any loss of life in order to cling to power. In each instance of instability, there have been implications for thousands of British expatriates who live and work in these countries.
	Each nation involved has a distinct culture, political system and level of economic development, so whatever their futures hold, there will be no single model. However, there is clearly a common hunger for justice, accountability, political rights and economic opportunity, given that the overwhelming majority of the demonstrations that we have seen have been peaceful and staged spontaneously by ordinary citizens. Our message to all governments of the region is that without change popular grievances will not go away. The right to peaceful protest must be respected and responded to with dialogue.
	We have consistently supported the right to peaceful protest throughout all demonstrations in the middle east and north Africa. There is clearly a common desire for justice, accountability, political rights and economic opportunity. We will continue to raise our concerns with international partners and institutions.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the presence of al-Qaeda in the Gaza Strip; what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the government of Israel,  (b) the Palestinian Authority,  (c) the government of Egypt,  (d) the Arab League,  (e) the government of Jordan,  (f) his EU counterparts and  (g) the United Nations Secretary General on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: I refer my hon. Friend to the response given to him on 7 February 2011,  Official Report, column 23W.

South Korea: Bears

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the South Korean government to seek an end to the practice of farming bears for bile.

Jeremy Browne: We consider bear bile farming to be an abhorrent practice. We are committed to promoting the conservation of wild animals worldwide, including through our membership of international agreements such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. In addition, when appropriate, we look for opportunities to raise animal welfare issues bilaterally.

Sudan: Human Rights

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the human rights situation in Darfur.

Henry Bellingham: We remain concerned about serious ongoing violations of human rights in Darfur and the increase in violence, which has resulted in an estimated 43,000 civilians displaced in the last two months. We have raised our concerns about human rights abuses with the Government of Sudan, including the need to end impunity for crime committed in Darfur and to allow full and unhindered access for vital humanitarian work in Darfur.

Syria

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of his recent visit to Syria; whether he discussed  (a) the progress of and  (b) Syrian support for the Middle East peace process with his Syrian counterpart; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: During his recent visit to Syria the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs covered a wide range of issues, including the need for progress on political reform, human rights and trade. He also discussed the middle east peace process with President Assad and Foreign Minister Muallem. The Secretary of State highlighted our commitment to comprehensive peace, our undertaking to do all that we can to that end and our view that all those in the region have a role to play.
	The United Kingdom will continue to press for progress on the middle east peace process. The situation across the middle east demands that, and I recently discussed progress with President Abbas. We want to see a resumption of negotiations based on clear parameters supported by the international community: 1967 borders with equivalent land swaps, appropriate security arrangements, Jerusalem as the capital of both states and a just solution for refugees.

Syria: Nuclear Power

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of Syria's nuclear programme; what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the government of Israel,  (b) the Palestinian Authority,  (c) the government of Egypt,  (d) the Arab League,  (e) the government of Jordan,  (f) his EU counterparts and  (g) the United Nations Secretary General on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK strongly supports the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) investigations on Syria and welcomes the recent report by the Director General on Syria's nuclear activities. It is important that Syria co-operates with this international body and ensures that the IAEA can complete its investigations.
	We urge Syria to comply with the IAEA's requests to be given further access to Syria's nuclear sites, and to provide documentation on these sites. We believe it is in Syria's interests to provide full transparency in order to allow the agency to investigate effectively.
	We discuss the issue of Syria's nuclear programme regularly within the EU, but have not recently raised bilaterally with the countries listed.

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what account he has taken of the Compact between the Government and Civil Society in policy development.

Alistair Burt: We take our relationships with civil society organisations seriously and engage with them throughout the world on foreign policy issues. Working with civil society is central to the way we deliver policy and is fundamental to the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
	Some examples of our engagement with civil society organisations, in line with the compact, include working with the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Control Arms Coalition (this includes Oxfam, Amnesty International and Saferworld) on trying to secure the Arms Trade treaty; holding round table events with NGOs to listen to their concerns ahead of visits or events, including recent events on China, Burma and Sudan; and we are undertaking a programme of outreach events around the UK to further develop our links with civil society organisations and inform them of foreign policy aims.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) hosts the Advisory Group on Human Rights, which he established to ensure that he receives the best possible information about human rights challenges and benefits from outside advice on the conduct of our policy. The group's members are eminent individuals with a broad range of human rights experience, drawn from non-governmental organisations, the legal and academic communities and international bodies.

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department provided to each charity it funds in each of the last five years; and how much he has allocated for funding to each such charity in each of the next five years.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not allocate any central funding to specific charities, other than the British Council, through an annual grant in aid. The details of this funding are published in our annual accounts and also annual parliamentary estimates. The British Council is an executive non-departmental public body, a public corporation (in accounting terms) and also a charity.
	We do use charities as project implementers around the world to help deliver UK foreign policy objectives, where they have the necessary skills or experience.
	Budgets in the FCO are devolved to over 260 posts and details of such payments to charities are not held centrally. As a result, this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The FCO does provide office space and services, but no financial support, to the Pimpernel Trust in the UK. It is a registered charity which helps retired members of the diplomatic service.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Nature Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding his Department allocated to the Turks and Caicos Natural Trust in each of the last five years.

Henry Bellingham: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has allocated the sum of £20,000 to the Turks and Caicos Islands National Trust in the last five years. The project was approved in 2006 to support restoration work following hurricane damage.

Venezuela: Trade Unions

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the situation of trade unionists in Venezuela.

William Hague: Our embassy in Venezuela, together with the EU delegation in Caracas, continue to monitor trade union issues. Trade union issues are also the subject of reports by Venezuelan non-governmental organisations, international human rights organisations and international organisations such as the InterAmerican Commission of Human Rights. Although some organisations have welcomed recent increases in the minimum wage and the high level of job security in Venezuela, some recent reports have expressed concern about threats against trade union leaders, restrictions on freedom of association and collective bargaining rights.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Burma: Overseas Aid

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department had discussions with Aung San Suu Kyi on its policy on aid to Burma.

Stephen O'Brien: Officials from the Department for International Development (DFID) and Her Majesty's ambassador to Burma are in regular contact with Aung San Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy. Recently DFID officials have informed Aung San Suu Kyi about the UK's plans on aid to Burma and sought her views.

Burma: Overseas Aid

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department provides funding to the Women's League of Burma.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) is providing funding to one member of the Women's League of Burma, the Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN). In 2010, DFID provided £76,413 to SWAN to improve health, education and livelihoods, and to empower women and promote their rights, in communities displaced by conflict along the Thailand-Burma border. DFID does not provide funding to the Women's League of Burma itself.

Charities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department provided to each charity it funds in each of the last five years; and how much he has allocated for funding to each such charity in each of the next five years.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports non-government organisations (NGOs) through a range of centrally managed funds and through DFID's country programmes. Details of funds provided to UK-based NGOs in 2009-10 through these different channels can be found in table 19 of Statistics on International Development 2010, which is available in the Library of the House and on the DFID website. Details of funding to NGOs based in other countries and the specific purpose and conditions attached to all funding to NGOs cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs. However, further details of all DFID projects, including those delivered by NGOs, can be found on the project database on our website;
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Finance-and-performance/Aid-Statistics/
	Data for 2010-11 will be available in October 2011.
	Final decisions are still being taken for funding for 2011-12 and beyond. DFID. has recently introduced the Aid Transparency Guarantee, which commits the Government to making our aid fully transparent to citizens in both the UK and overseas, increasing accessibility and feedback, and pushing international partners to follow this UK lead. Under this guarantee we will publish full and detailed information on our projects and programmes on our website-in a standardised, accessible format so that it can be freely used by third parties.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Nature Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has allocated to the Turks and Caicos Natural Trust in each of the last five years.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) allocated a total of £212,509 between June 2004 and March 2008 from the Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP) for projects implemented by the Turks and Caicos National Trust. This funding was channelled through the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum.

World Bank: Energy

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2011,  Official Report, column 1094W, on development countries: energy, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's submissions to the World Bank energy strategy review.

Andrew Mitchell: I have arranged for the Department for International Development's (DFID's) input to the World Bank's Energy Strategy Review to be placed in the Library of the House.

CABINET OFFICE

Average Earnings

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will estimate the average wage of employees of businesses with more than 10 employees of each  (a) gender and  (b) age group for those in (i) full-time and (ii) part-time employment.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking us to estimate the average wage of employees of businesses with more than 10 employees of each (a) gender and (b) age group for those in (i) full-time and (ii) part-time employment. (48322)
	Average levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all employees on adult rates of pay whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom.
	I attach a table showing the median gross weekly earnings for full-time and part-time employees of businesses with more than 10 employees of each (a) gender and (b) age group for April 2010.
	
		
			  UK median gross weekly earnings for businesses with more than 10 employees by age bands( 1) : April 2010 
			  £ 
			   Full-time  Part-time 
			   Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 16-17(2) *188.2 *180.0 *56.5 50.4 
			 18-21 287.5 271.5 100.0 90.1 
			 22-29 424.9 404.7 145.0 147.7 
			 30-39 581.1 514.4 187.9 186.9 
			 40-49 626.4 478.5 189.0 183.9 
			 50-59 592.7 448.1 198.9 180.7 
			 60+ 489.8 392.5 163.2 145.0 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. (2) Figures for 16 to 17-year-olds include employees not on adult rates of pay.  Guide to quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV-for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220.  Key: CV <= 5% * CV >5% and <=10%  Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics

Census

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has for the presentation of data resulting from those who have chosen to write in a religion on their 2011 Census form.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your recent question asking what the plans are for the presentation of data resulting from those who have chosen to write in a religion on their 2011 Census form.
	The ONS is currently consulting with users on the main set of statistical outputs designed for the 2011 Census (including religion) to ensure it reflects user needs and meets expectations. The current proposal lists twenty-eight tables relating to religion with cross-tabulations against other variables such as age, sex, health and occupation, and the religion categories presented in these tables include write-in responses. The tables will be available at different levels of geography down to Census outputs areas (approximately 175,000 areas in England and Wales consisting of an average of 125 residents each).
	The 2011 Census aims to take action to improve outputs (compared to 2001) relating to minority groups who are often captured in written responses including religion. The current consultation refers directly to this and provides users with the opportunity to advise ONS of their requirements for such statistics.
	Details of the consultation and the current proposed list of table layouts can be found at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-census/consultations/open-consultations/2011-output-consultation---main-statistical-outputs---second-round/index.html

Charities: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which charities applied for but did not receive funding from the Transitional Fund.

Nick Hurd: There was an early tranche of 18 Transition Fund awards made on 15 February and a further tranche of 183 awards made on 22 March. These awards will be followed by many more in April and May. We do not publish details of unsuccessful applicants.

Charities: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much has been allocated from the Transitional Fund  (a) to charities operating in each region and  (b) to each type of charity.

Nick Hurd: To date there have been 201 awards from the Transition Fund. The amount per region and the type of services that these organisations deliver are set out in the tables. These awards are the first of many; further awards will be made in April and May.
	
		
			  Region  Number of awards  Total amount awarded (£) 
			 East of England 10 938,190 
			 East Midlands 20 1,191,643 
			 London 48 4,952,471 
			 North East 17 1,241,807 
			 North West 21 1,589,516 
			 South East 13 1,027,173 
			 South West 31 2,535,546 
			 West Midlands 24 1,655,836 
			 Yorks and Humberside 17 1,396,480 
			 Total 201 16,528,662 
		
	
	
		
			  Service area  Instances( 1) 
			 Health 117 
			 Education 115 
			 Children 133 
			 Employment 64 
			 Homelessness 44 
			 Offenders 34 
			 Debt and legal advice 39 
			 Total 546 
			 (1) Many applicants delivered a range of services, so these figures do not equal to the total number of awards.

Charity Commission: Manpower

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people the Charity Commission employed in each of the last five years; and how many people he expects it to employ in each of the next five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission for England and Wales. I have asked the Commission to reply.
	 Letter from Sam Younger, dated 21 March 2011:
	.
	The average Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) staff in post for each of the years requested is as follows:
	
		
			   FTE 
			 2005-06 517 
			 2006-07 490 
			 2007-08 471 
			 2008-09 464 
			 2009-10 466 
			 2010-11 430 
			 2011-12 387 
			 2012-13 320 
			 2013-14 277 
			 2014-15 272 
		
	
	The projections relate to the financial years covered by the next Spending Review period. FTE in 2015/16 cannot be projected as we do not know what our funding will be in that year.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Migration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people migrated  (a) to and  (b) from the UK in each of the last five years; and how many are expected to migrate (i) to and (ii) from the UK in each of the next five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to respond to your recent parliamentary question asking how many people migrated (a) to and (b) from the UK in each of the last five years; and how many are expected to migrate (i) to and (ii) from the UK in each of the next five years (47447).
	The attached table provides both the latest published estimates of long term international migration and projections of future migration.
	Long Term International Migration (LTIM) estimates are provided for the years ending mid-2006 up to and including provisional estimates for the year ending mid-2010. These are the latest available estimates and are derived from several data sources. The International Passenger Survey (IPS) migrant data provides the foundation of the LTIM estimates with adjustments for asylum seekers, people whose intentions change with regard to their length of stay, and for international migration to and from Northern Ireland.
	Projections of future migration are provided from the year ending mid-2011 to the year ending mid-2016. The most recent population projections of the UK are based on the mid-year population estimates for 2008 and a set of demographic assumptions about future fertility, mortality and net migration based on analysis of trends and expert advice. The assumptions for in-migration and out-migration are by-products of this process and do not feed directly into producing projections.
	The national population projections are not forecasts and do not attempt to predict the impact that future government policies, changing economic circumstances or other factors (whether in the UK or overseas) might have on demographic behaviour. However, the projections included in the table will reflect the impact of any government policy up to 2008.
	Long-term international migration data produced by the ONS applies the UN definition of someone who moves from their country of previous residence for a period of at least a year, irrespective of citizenship.
	
		
			  Long-term international migration estimates and projection assumptions: All migrants, United Kingdom 
			  Thousand 
			  E nding  June each year:  Inflow  Outflow  Balance 
			 2006 565 388 +177 
			 2007 595 387 +208 
			 2008 571 375 +196 
			 2009 563 397 +166 
			 2010(1) 572 346 +226 
			 2011(2) 671 470 +201 
			 2012(2) 671 475 +196 
			 2013(2) 671 480 +191 
			 2014(2) 671 485 +186 
			 2015(2) 670 490 +180 
			 2016(2) 670 490 +180 
			 (1) Year includes provisional estimates for 2010. (2) 2008-based National Population Projections migration assumptions. The projections assume constant levels of annual net migration beyond 2014-15.  Notes: 1. From year ending mid-2011, National Population Projection assumptions have been provided. Due to the different methodology used these are not directly comparable with published migration estimates. 2. The assumed net migration is used in the production of the projections. The assumptions for in-migration and out-migration are by-products of this process and do not feed directly into producing projections. Care should be taken when interpreting these figures.

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much the Department gave to the youth volunteering charity v in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: Funding levels for v, the national young volunteers service, can be found on the Cabinet Office web pages at the following url:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-office-annual-reports-and-accounts

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent representations he has received from  (a) Volunteering England and  (b) Citizens Advice on the effects on the voluntary sector of recent reductions in public expenditure.

Nick Hurd: I meet regularly with a range of voluntary sector organisations. On 16 November 2010 I attended the England Volunteering Development Council organised by Volunteering England and heard first hand about the effects of reductions in public expenditure.
	On 24 February 2011, the Office for Civil Society hosted a meeting of a number of advice providers including Citizens Advice. The information from this meeting was shared directly with me.

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the position of England in international comparator tables on levels of  (a) volunteering and  (b) State support for the voluntary sector.

Nick Hurd: The Giving Green Paper, published in December 2010, cited analysis carried out by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), which suggested that the UK ranks in 29(th) place worldwide in terms of giving time.
	The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) estimates that statutory support to general charities in the UK amounted to £12.8 billion in 2007-08. The Cabinet Office has not made any assessment of how this compares internationally.

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment his Department has made of the level of social enterprise activity in each region.

Nick Hurd: The Annual Small Business Survey conducted by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, estimates that there are at least 60,000 social enterprises in the UK. The survey does not provide a regional breakdown of the level of social enterprise activity.
	The Cabinet Office conducts the National Survey of Charities and Social Enterprises on a biennial basis to gather information on the activities and views of sector organisations, including social enterprises. Results from the 2010 wave of the National Survey, including regional data, are expected to be published in April 2011. The results from the 2008 survey are available at:
	www.nscsesurvey.com

Transitional Fund

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on what date the Transitional Fund was  (a) opened and  (b) closed.

Nick Hurd: The Transition Fund was opened to applications on 30 November 2010 and closed on 21( )January 2011.

Unemployment: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of workless households in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and  (b) the London borough of Bexley.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what recent estimate has been made of the number of workless households in a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and b) the London borough of Bexley (48106).
	The figures requested come from the Annual Population Survey (APS) household datasets. The latest data currently available is for 2009. The attached table shows estimates for Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and the London borough of Bexley.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. These estimates are such that there is 95 per cent certainty that from all samples possible they will lie within the lower and upper bounds.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of workless households( 1)  i n Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and London borough of Bexley, January to December 2009 
			  Thousand 
			   Estimate  Lower bound( 2)  Upper bound( 2) 
			 Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency 7 5 9 
			 London borough of Bexley 15 12 18 
			 (1) Households containing at least one person aged 16 to 64, where all individuals aged 16 or over are not in employment. (2) 95% confidence interval which means that from all samples possible there would be 95% certainty that the true estimate would lie within the lower and upper bounds.  Source: APS household dataset

Voluntary Work: Young People

Tony Baldry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he expects to establish a national citizen service for all ages.

Nick Hurd: The Government have no plans at present to widen the age range for participation in National Citizen Service beyond young people aged 16.

Volunteering England: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much funding was allocated to Volunteering England in each of the last five years; and how much such funding he plans to allocate in each of the next five years.

Nick Hurd: Cabinet Office funding to Volunteering England for 2005-06 to 2009-10 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Strategic funding 1,203,200 1,500,000 1,537,500 1,575,900 1,615,300 
			 Project grant 839,938 0 0 0 0 
			 Management of the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service (ex VAT) 173,410 177,745 182,189 17,375 0 
			 Total 2,216,548 1,677,745 1,719,689 1,593,275 1,615,300 
		
	
	Through the Office for Civil Society strategic partner transition programme Volunteering England will receive £500,000 in 2011-12, £375,000 in 2012-13 and £250, 000 in 2013-14.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Crime: Devon

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of levels of  (a) violent crime and  (b) domestic violence in South Devon in each of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office collects data on violence against the person offences recorded by police forces in England and Wales. Data are collected at police force area level but can be broken down to local authority, Community Safety Partnership (CSP) and Basic Command Unit (BCU) levels. None of these levels have an area exactly corresponding to South Devon, however data are provided for South Hams alongside the total figures for England and Wales for each year from 2007-08 to 2009-10 in Table A.
	Data on domestic violence are collected via the British Crime Survey but these can only be broken down to regional level. Data for the South West Region are provided in Table B. Further information can be found in 'Homicides, Firearms Offences and Intimate Violence 2009-10' at the following link:
	http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs11/hosb0111.pdf
	Data on police recorded offences of domestic violence are collected but cannot be broken down beyond police force area level. Data for Devon and Cornwall police force area for 2007-08 to 2009-10 are provided in Table C.
	
		
			  Table A: Recorded violence against the person offences in South Hams and England and Wales, 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			  Area  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 South Hams 634 554 502 
			 
			 England and Wales 961,099 903,447 871,712 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Percentage of adults aged 16 to 59 who were victims of domestic abuse in the last year, 2007-08 to 2009-10 BCS 
			  Statistically significant change: 
			   2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  2007-08 to 2008-09  2008-09 to 2009-10 
			 South West 5.8 4.1 4.7 * - 
			  Note: To enable comparisons over time, these figures do not include stalking as questions on stalking were not included in the 2007-08 BCS. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table C: Reported domestic violence incidents( 1) , Devon and Cornwall police, 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			   Number of reported domestic violence incidents 
			 2007-08 23,789 
			 2008-09 25,872 
			 2009-10 25,659 
			 (1) All data are provisional and unverified.

Detention Centres: Children

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what date she expects to end the practice of detaining children of failed asylum seekers.

Damian Green: On 16 December 2010, the Government announced a new package to deliver our commitment to end the detention of children for immigration purposes and the immediate closure to children of the family unit at the Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre. A new approach to managing family returns has been developed which places far greater emphasis on engagement with families and aims to encourage families to leave without the need for enforcement action if they are found to have no legal right to be in the UK.
	Most elements of this new process went live across the UK on 1 March 2011, including a new independent Family Returns Panel to advise the UK Border Agency on how to ensure the return of those families who do not take up the opportunities to leave under their own steam. A range of options has been developed to provide sufficient flexibility for a tailored approach to each family.
	As a backstop, a new option of pre-departure accommodation is being developed for use when other options for ensuring return have failed or are not appropriate. This will have a secure perimeter but families will be allowed to leave the premises with permission after a suitable risk assessment. It will have an entirely different look and feel to an immigration removal centre with more privacy and strictly time-limited stays. Barnardo's will deliver the key welfare, safeguarding and support services. We expect this to open in the summer.
	The small number of family rooms at Tinsley House Immigration Removal Centre may be used in place of the new pre-departure accommodation until May. After May, Tinsley House will only be used for those few families who are refused entry to the UK at the border and need to be held for a short time prior to their return or for criminal and other high-risk families who could not be accommodated safely in the pre-departure accommodation.

Detention Centres: Children

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will introduce a formal time limit on the detention of children in Tinsley House Immigration Removal Centre;
	(2)  if she will introduce a formal time limit for children to be housed in open accommodation and pre-departure accommodation facilities.

Damian Green: A new approach to managing family returns has been developed and was introduced on 1 March. It aims to encourage families to leave without the need for enforcement action if they are found to have no legal right to be in the UK.
	Where enforcement action does need to be taken, a range of options has been developed to ensure the safe return of families. These options include open accommodation and, as a backstop when other options for ensuring return have failed or are not appropriate, pre-departure accommodation. A small number of family rooms at Tinsley House immigration removal centre may be used in place of the new pre-departure accommodation until May. After May, Tinsley House will be used only for those few families who are refused entry to the UK at the border and need to be held for a short time prior to their return or for criminal and other high-risk families who could not be accommodated safely in the pre-departure accommodation.
	Families will enter open accommodation on a voluntary basis and will be entirely free to come and go during their stay. Families will only enter open accommodation where their return can be delivered within 72 hours of the family's arrival there, or within five working days for Third Country Unit or Non Suspensive Appeal cases. If the return fails, the family may remain in open accommodation, but their stay will not exceed a maximum of 28 days. Stays in pre-departure accommodation and in Tinsley House will be strictly time-limited: the normal maximum will be 72 hours, which may be extended in exceptional circumstances to a maximum of seven days with ministerial authorisation.
	Other than in border cases, families will enter open accommodation, pre-departure accommodation and Tinsley House only after advice has been sought from a new independent Family Returns Panel.

Detention Centres: Children

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many families have been separated when one parent is held in immigration detention while their children or spouses stay in the community for the purposes of immigration control; and how many such families were single parent families where the parent detained was the primary or sole care giver in each of the last five years;
	(2)  in how many cases where children were cared for in fostering arrangements or by another parent while their parent was in immigration detention the UK Border Agency has information on whether the child's care arrangements gave rise to child protection concerns which were identified by children's services; and of such cases in how many instances were child protection concerns identified.

Damian Green: The information requested is not recorded centrally by the UK Border Agency and could be obtained only through examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost. However, in response to the Family Removals: Thematic Inspection report by the Independent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency, the UK Border Agency has committed to improving the management information held on families.
	The UK Border Agency takes its responsibilities for safeguarding children seriously and where possible ensures that families remain together. Typically, separations would take place only in cases where a member of the family is also a former foreign national prisoner and a decision has been made to maintain their detention pending deportation. Under the new arrangements for managing family returns, families without any criminal history would only be separated in exceptional circumstances and after advice had been sought from the independent Family Returns Panel.

Foreign Nationals

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of  (a) Brazilian,  (b) Russian,  (c) Indian and  (d) Chinese nationals resident in the UK.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2011:
	.
	The Office for National Statistics collects data on nationality from the Annual Population Survey (APS) which is a household survey of residents of the UK. It should be noted the survey does not include people living in most types of communal establishment. The latest estimates available are for the 12 month period of July 2009 to June 2010 and these are shown in Table 1 below.
	
		
			  Table 1: Estimated population resident in the United Kingdom, by selected nationalities July 2009-June 2010 
			  Thousand 
			  Nationality  Estimate  C I+/- 
			 Brazil 40 9 
			 China 104 14 
			 India 322 24 
			 Russia 21 6 
			  Note: 'CI'-Confidence Interval  Source: Annual Population Survey (APS), ONS

Human Trafficking

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to ensure that police receive adequate  (a) funding and  (b) training to be able to recognise and deal with cases of human trafficking.

Damian Green: Combating human trafficking is part of core police business. All new police officers receive mandatory training on trafficking and existing officers have access to awareness material.

Immigration: Correspondence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) letters,  (b) emails and  (c) other items of correspondence her Department has received on immigration issues in the last 12 months.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency does not routinely collect statistics on the number of inquiries made by members of the public and these could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However figures are published annually by the Cabinet Office on inquiries from Members of Parliament. In 2009 the UK Border Agency received 66,320 inquiries by letter or e-mail. The figures for 2010 will be published in due course.

Sexual Offences: Males

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will  (a) assess the adequacy of provision of specialist support for males who have been subject to sexual violence and  (b) take steps to increase such provision.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 16 March 2011
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department has confirmed that Home Office funding of more than £28 million will be available over four years to support victims of sexual and domestic violence including male victims of sexual violence. Of this, £1.72 million will be available each year on a stable basis to support independent sexual violence advisers in both the specialist voluntary sector and in SARCs.

Traffic Wardens

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) traffic enforcement officers,  (b) traffic wardens and  (c) council parking attendants were operating in each police force area in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

James Brokenshire: The latest available data are provided in the tables which show the number of full-time equivalent traffic wardens employed by the police in each police force area from 1996-97 to 2009-10. The tables also contain the number of full-time equivalent police officers with a traffic function in each police force area from 2002-03 to 2009-10. Figures prior to 2002-03 are not available.
	The number of traffic wardens employed by the police has declined substantially in recent years. This reflects the increasing role of local authorities in parking control. However, figures for council parking attendants are not provided as the Home Office does not collect statistics on local authority employed staff.
	
		
			  Police officer traffic function( 1)  (FTE)( 2)  in England and Wales as at 31 March( 4, 5) . England and Wales 
			  Traffic function 
			   2002- 03  2003- 04( 3)  2004- 05  2005- 06  2006- 07  2007- 08  2008- 09  2009- 10 
			 Avon Police force and Somerset 216 222 228 215 148 160 168 157 
			 Bedfordshire 75 80 80 81 68 65 56 57 
			 Cambridgeshire 85 99 101 99 96 90 99 101 
			 Cheshire 194 200 194 85 91 94 88 90 
			 Cleveland 64 73 2 61 72 104 108 115 
			 Cumbria 107 110 108 111 114 99 88 86 
			 Derbyshire 107 121 116 119 110 109 89 88 
			 Devon and Cornwall 192 198 211 215 225 232 236 239 
			 Dorset 91 86 82 81 80 78 79 76 
			 Durham 111 119 108 105 100 107 104 96 
			 Essex 241 242 243 243 231 219 222 257 
			 Gloucestershire 62 66 67 73 67 67 67 65 
			 Greater Manchester 406 392 359 342 352 338 315 310 
			 Hampshire 248 246 244 240 237 214 187 181 
			 Hertfordshire 150 151 149 149 145 152 151 139 
			 Humberside 123 119 225 181 100 104 97 116 
			 Kent 104 - 122 116 109 122 138 138 
			 Lancashire 198 187 190 197 184 180 181 171 
			 Leicestershire 92 95 85 77 72 74 85 86 
			 Lincolnshire 90 89 96 102 100 92 86 84 
			 London, City of 24 24 28 24 23 26 23 30 
			 Merseyside 125 119 115 138 150 152 167 164 
			 Metropolitan Police 583 592 1,029 603 611 612 290 297 
			 Norfolk 120 121 107 112 110 118 109 102 
			 Northamptonshire 70 71 65 63 63 60 68 68 
			 Northumbria 245 253 165 167 172 165 164 189 
			 North Yorkshire 151 138 101 97 99 105 103 99 
			 Nottinghamshire 26 121 133 134 139 144 139 47 
			 South Yorkshire 180 127 134 141 143 144 135 130 
			 Staffordshire 50 49 58 28 35 34 30 67 
			 Suffolk 68 72 76 80 77 81 72 67 
			 Surrey 108 110 107 99 87 98 97 100 
			 Sussex 164 163 163 160 169 160 166 159 
			 Thames Valley 259 259 245 236 237 250 249 228 
			 Warwickshire 103 103 93 97 93 93 14 10 
			 West Mercia 292 115 117 116 129 128 119 101 
			 West Midlands 384 405 393 401 383 352 351 351 
			 West Yorkshire 320 314 317 343 324 283 297 315 
			 Wiltshire 91 96 93 13 89 91 85 83 
			 Dyfed-Powys 136 105 141 143 136 126 94 84 
			 Gwent 93 95 96 102 95 57 49 63 
			 North Wales 115 114 76 81 98 90 88 88 
			 South Wales 243 245 243 243 252 233 165 143 
			 Total of 43 forces 6,902 6,706 7,104 6,511 6,412 6,299 5,714 5,634 
			 (1 )Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual chief constables. (2) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between the totals in this table and totals in similar published tables. (3) Data not provided by Kent police force. (4) This traffic function table does not appear on our website but is used for policy purposes such as briefing documents, as a result, the data are confirmed with forces. (5) Definition of the traffic function: Staff who are predominantly employed on motor-cycles or in patrol vehicles for the policing of traffic and motorway related duties. This includes officers employed in accident investigation, vehicle examination and radar duties. Include staff who are predominantly employed to support the traffic function of the force including radar, accident investigation, vehicle examination and traffic administration. Include those officers working with hazardous chemicals, and those administrative staff predominantly serving the internal needs of the traffic function of the force and those officer/staff in supporting roles. 
		
	
	
		
			  Police staff strength as at 31 March, by police force area. England and Wales 
			  Traffic wardens 
			  Police force  1 9 96-9 7  1997 - 98  1998 - 99  1999 -20 00  2000 - 01  20 01- 02  2002- 03  20 03- 04  200 4- 05  20 05- 06  2006- 07  2 00- 08  2008- 09  200 9- 10 
			 Avon and Somerset 108 114 115 59 48 44 43 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire 31 26 10 9 3 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 39 33 38 35 38 36 35 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cheshire 34 35 31 25 20 20 19 15 17 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 22 23 18 13 10 12 7 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria 21 21 16 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 50 53 50 50 44 50 48 43 25 21 12 7 0 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 114 115 113 119 110 101 103 102 96 89 47 37 3 1 
			 Dorset 61 49 42 41 37 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Durham 22 22 21 22 19 19 15 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Essex 136 123 121 102 82 59 38 21 8 7 9 9 8 9 
			 Gloucestershire 33 38 35 35 30 30 31 21 16 14 9 0 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 208 189 160 96 88 87 88 88 90 71 32 26 5 5 
			 Hampshire 77 65 68 53 53 31 25 23 16 7 6 3 2 1 
			 Hertfordshire 72 55 44 38 45 42 38 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Humberside 60 59 52 53 51 51 48 46 45 38 20 12 10 6 
			 Kent 58 52 31 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire 115 110 101 94 87 84 50 17 2 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Leicestershire 79 75 70 67 65 72 61 51 26 5 1 0 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire 24 26 22 20 21 21 21 18 20 14 10 10 7 9 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 132 115 114 106 93 63 52 43 10 5 38 0 0 0 
			 Metropolitan Police 1,383 1,166 945 817 689 632 687 505 449 411 317 298 275 249 
			 Norfolk 43 43 40 37 33 34 33 31 28 26 22 12 10 9 
			 Northamptonshire 25 25 23 16 11 7 7 5 4 2 1 1 1 1 
			 Northumbria 112 78 70 70 72 71 59 56 51 48 32 18 11 4 
			 North Yorkshire 26 23 23 19 12 10 0 10 0 6 3 2 1 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 68 61 65 58 39 30 29 33 12 4 1 0 0 0 
			 South Yorkshire 80 80 76 62 71 77 68 37 18 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 37 35 31 24 17 12 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Suffolk 33 32 33 31 29 29 25 25 20 18 0 0 0 0 
			 Surrey 30 25 21 16 25 20 17 8 5 3 0 0 0 0 
			 Sussex 140 132 113 110 98 62 61 67 62 48 48 36 32 30 
			 Thames Valley 117 103 95 58 45 51 42 36 24 16 8 7 5 2 
			 Warwickshire 12 12 10 8 9 9 9 8 4 5 3 1 1 1 
			 West Mercia 38 35 31 30 23 21 15 13 9 10 6 4 3 1 
			 West Midlands 210 218 192 175 128 78 74 72 66 51 24 0 0 0 
			 West Yorkshire 136 129 118 116 107 99 98 85 42 26 12 9 5 4 
			 Wiltshire 21 19 20 15 7 8 7 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 20 19 15 14 15 12 13 10 10 8 10 10 11 8 
			 Gwent 34 33 32 30 28 28 27 25 21 22 23 20 19 15 
			 North Wales 18 16 15 12 12 8 7 5 4 2 1 1 1 1 
			 South Wales 106 109 108 100 104 100 99 92 82 77 72 69 60 50 
			 Total of 43 forces 4,180 3,788 3,342 2,855 2,516 2,233 2,108 1,688 1,281 1,053 764 590 468 409 
			  Note: This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between the totals and the sums of the constituent items.

EDUCATION

Capita

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many contracts his Department has with Capita; and how much it has paid to Capita under such contracts in 2010-11 to date.

Tim Loughton: The main contracts held with Capita are for: the delivery of the National Strategies Programme, the project management of the Academies Programme, the managed delivery of the Teachers Pension Scheme, the Criminal Records Bureau checking service and the Managed Service for the Provision of Interim Personnel. The total value of payments to the Capita Group made as at 22 March 2011 were £118 million which includes managed service costs and payments for other parties.

Child Development

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated into development in childhood and well-being.

Sarah Teather: There is no one study explicitly looking into the relationship between development in childhood and well-being. However, there are studies which the Department has commissioned or is aware of which look at child development or the well-being of children:
	Funding support was previously provided for the Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC) study "Understanding Society". The purpose of this longitudinal study is to understand social and economic change in Britain at the household and individual levels. Wave 3 of their survey due to be collected 2011/12 will contain a module on child development which will cover questions on cognitive development and emotional adjustment; a child's experience of school; a child's activities at home; and parental interactions with the child. The report is available at:
	http://research.understandingsociety.org.uk/findings/early-findings
	The Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), commissioned by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is a longitudinal study following the lives of around 19,000 children born in the UK in 2000/01. The MCS covers topics such as parenting, child care, school choice, child behaviour and cognitive development, child and parental health, parents' employment and education, income and poverty, housing, neighbourhood and residential mobility, and social capital and ethnicity. Funding support for the study is provided across Government including the Department for Education. "Children of the 21st century; the first five years" which documents the first five years of life of the millennium cohort children was published in February 2010, available at:
	http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/publications.asp?section=00010001000600070003
	The Effective Pre-school and Primary Education Study (EPPE) funded by the Department, is a longitudinal study of a national sample of young children's development between the ages of three and seven years. The study looks at the impact on children's intellectual and social/behavioural development of background characteristics related to parents, the child's home learning environment and the pre-school settings that children attend. The final report from EPPE is available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/RSG/publicationDetail/Page1/SSU/FR/2004/01
	The Departmental funded National Evaluation of Sure Start (NESS) is a long term wide-ranging evaluation of Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs). The aim of SSLPs was to enhance the life chances for young children growing up in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, to enhance health and well-being during the early years, to increase the chances that children would enter school ready to learn, be academically successful in school, socially successful in their communities and occupationally successful when adult. The impact of Sure Start Local Programmes on five-year-olds and their families' was published in November 2010 and is available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationdetail/page1/dfe-rr067
	In 2009, the Department commissioned the Tellus4 National Survey. The Tellus survey was designed to gather information from children and young people about their behaviour and to seek their views on aspects of their lives, schools and local areas. The survey included questions about the children's physical and emotional well-being. The report was published in March 2010 and is available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DCSF-RR218.pdf
	The Children's Society's "2009 National Survey of Young People's Well-being" was the first comprehensive, UK-wide investigation of childhood well-being-or happiness-from a young person's point of view. Children were also asked questions exploring the impact of family structure on well-being, such as living in a lone or step-parent family. The initial report providing a short introduction to some of the main topics covered by the survey and is available at:
	http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/tcs/research_docs/Wellbeing%20report%20summary_0.pdf
	The World Health Organisation's "Young people's health in Great Britain and Ireland" published findings from the "health behaviour of school aged children survey 2006". The overall aim of the study was to gain new insights and increase understanding of adolescent health behaviours, health and well-being, with an emphasis on the social determinants of adolescent health, particularly the social contexts of young people's lives. The report is available at:
	http://www.hbsc.org/downloads/YoungPeoplesHealth_GB&Ireland.pdf

Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated research on childhood friendship bonds.

Sarah Teather: The Department has either commissioned or evaluated the following research into childhood friendship bonds:
	Funding support has been provided for the Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC) study, 'Understanding Society'. The study includes a question on friendship-the adult responsible for children aged 0-16 in the household is asked whether (all) child(ren) have children around for tea or a snack once a fortnight. The study finds that, if a young person's ability to have friends around is reduced due to material deprivation, their life satisfaction is negatively affected. The report is available at:
	http://research.understandingsociety.org.uk/findings/early-findings
	In 2009 the Department commissioned the Tellus 4 National Survey. Findings related to friendship include that the majority of children and young people (92%) say that they have one or more good friends and 66% said when they are worried about something they can talk to their friends. Girls are more likely to talk to their friends when worried than boys. Overall, 31% of children said they worried about their friends. Friends were a source of help for planning their future for around three out of five of children surveyed. The report is available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DCSF-RR218.pdf
	The Children's Society has developed their Good Childhood Index, made up of 10 indicators designed to measure children's sense of well-being about different aspects of their life and includes the question 'how happy are you with your friends?' The report is available at:
	http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/research/initiatives/well-being/background-programme-0
	'The World Health Organisation: young people's health in Great Britain and Ireland' published findings from the Health Behaviour of School Age Children Survey 2006. The proportion of children having three or more close friends of the same gender decreases between age 11 and 15, and boys are more likely than girls to report having three or more close friends. At age 11, across all participating countries, England scores the highest for girls reporting having three or more close friends (91%). Rates of time spent out in the evenings with friends increase significantly between ages 11 and 15 years in the majority of countries for both boys and girls. Again, there is a significant increase in prevalence of daily electronic communication between ages 11 and 15. The report is available at:
	http://www.hbsc.org/publications/reports.html

Children: Day Care

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of  (a) maintained and  (b) private, voluntary and independent full day childcare settings in the west midlands were deemed (i) outstanding, (ii) good, (iii) satisfactory and (iv) inadequate by Ofsted in each of the last three years.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 22 March 2011
	These data are held by Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 17 March 2011:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	Ofsted publishes quarterly official statistics on early years registered inspection outcomes, at local authority, government office region and national level, with the annual position summarised in the Annual Report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills. The figures given in this response are consistent with published statistics.
	Tables A, B and C show the inspection outcomes of childcare providers on the Early Years Register in the West Midlands which were active at the end of each period, since September 2008. Please note that we do not classify early years registered providers as 'maintained'. In addition, because there is no requirement for Ofsted to capture the funding streams of providers as part of the regulation and inspection of early years registered providers, we do not hold data on whether such providers are private, voluntary or independent.
	The figures provided relate only to the inspection of those providers on the Early Years Register against the Early Years Foundation Stage framework and do not include a minority of providers inspected before September 2008, under the previous inspection framework. This is because there is no direct comparison between the two frameworks. Childcare providers offering care for children from birth to the 31 August following the child's fifth birthday are required to register on the Early Years Register. The arrangements of the Early Years Foundation Stage came into effect in September 2008, marking the beginning of a 47 month cycle of inspection, during which Ofsted aims to inspect all providers on the Early Years Register at least once.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Sarah Teather MP, Minister of State for Children and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Table A: Inspection outcomes for early years registered providers in the  west midlands  inspected between 1 September 2008 and 31 August 2009 
			   Outstanding  Good  Satisfactory  Inadequate  Total number 
			 Childminders 137 (7%) 1,120 (60%) 530 (28%) 92 (5%) 1,879 
			 Childcare on non-domestic premises 119 (13%) 510 (57%) 231 (26%) 42 (5%) 902 
			 Childcare on domestic premises 1 (25%) 3 (75%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 4 
			 All provision 257 (9%) 1,633 (59%) 761 (27%) 134 (5%) 2,785 
			  Notes: 1. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. 2. Data relate to the most recent inspection during the period of providers who were active at 31 August 2009. 3. Data only relate to inspections where children were being cared for at time of inspection. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Inspection outcomes for early years registered providers in the  west midlands  inspected between 1 September 2009 and 31 August 2010 
			   Outstanding  Good  Satisfactory  Inadequate  Total number 
			 Childminders 91 (8%) 621 (56%) 357 (32%) 38 (3%) 1,107 
			 Childcare on non-domestic premises 103 (14%) 447 (61%) 154 (21%) 25 (3%) 729 
			 Childcare on domestic premises 1 (33%) 2 (67%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 3 
			 All provision 195 (11%) 1,070 (58%) 511 (28%) 63 (3%) 1,839 
			  Notes: 1. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. 2. Data relate to the most recent Inspection during the period of providers who were active at 31 August 2010. 3. Data only relate to inspections where children were being cared for at time of inspection. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table C: Inspection outcomes for early years registered providers in the  west midlands  inspected between 1 September 2010 and 31 December 2010 
			   Outstanding  Good  Satisfactory  Inadequate  Total number 
			 Childminders 4 (3%) 68 (59%) 39 (34%) 4 (3%) 115 
			 Childcare on non-domestic premises 18 (16%) 66 (59%) 23 (21%) 4 (4%) 111 
			 Childcare on domestic premises 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 
			 All provision 22 (10%) 134 (59%) 62 (27%) 8 (4%) 226 
			  Notes: 1. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. 2. Data relate to the most recent inspection during the period of providers who were active at 31 December 2010. 3. Data only relate to inspections where children were being cared for at time of inspection.

Children: Obesity

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department  (a) has issued to schools since October 2010 and  (b) plans to issue to schools in the next six months on reducing obesity among persons under the age of 16; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Teather: The Department for Education has not issued any specific guidance to schools on reducing obesity since October 2010 and has no plans to issue further guidance in the next six months. However, this Government recognise that through physical education, competitive school sport and healthy eating, schools can help address the problem of childhood obesity. In the past, the Department has made available guidance and resources to help schools provide a healthy environment by providing nutritious school lunches, improving participation in high quality PE and sport opportunities, helping children learn about health through Personal, Social, Health and Economic education and practical activities such as cooking. Guidance from DFE and Department of Health has also issued to schools on how they can support the National Child Measurement Programme, which collects essential height and weight data on primary school pupils in Reception and Year 6.

Children: Well-being

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the relative position of the UK in international comparator tables on the well-being of children.

Tim Loughton: The most recent and authoritative international report on the well-being of children is UNICEF's Report Card 9, "The children left behind: a league table of inequality in child well-being in the world's rich countries", published on 3 December 2010. The report assesses inequalities in child well-being for 24 of the world's richest countries, regarding material well-being, educational well-being and health well-being.
	'Material inequality' measures household income, access to basic educational resources and household living space. 'Educational inequality' measures reading, maths and science literacy using the 2006 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). 'Health inequality' measures self-reported health, healthy eating and vigorous physical activity, using the 2005/06 "Health Behaviour of School-aged Children" (HBSC) study.
	For material inequality, the UK showed higher levels of inequality than the OECD average, in particular for access to basic educational resources at home such as a calculator, dictionary, desk, etc. This measure of material inequality was the main driver for the UK's poor rank against other countries for this dimension of inequality (the UK was ranked 19(th) out of 24 countries).
	The UK ranked 13(th) out of 24 countries for educational well-being. There was below average inequality for maths literacy, but above average inequality in science literacy.
	The UK had lower than average inequality for each measure of health well-being (the UK was 11(th) out of the 24 countries). We performed particularly well in comparison to other countries in the self-reported health complaints measure.
	The UK's overall ranking was in the bottom two-fifths of countries, alongside Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Spain.
	The OECD report "Doing Better for Children" (2009) presents a similarly mixed picture for national average levels of child well-being in rich countries (as distinct from the UNICEF report, which addresses inequalities). There is a strong positive in respect of the quality of school life, where we are among the OECD's best-performing countries. The strongest negative is on risky behaviours (smoking, drinking, teenage pregnancy) where we are among the worst. For the remaining dimensions-material well-being, educational well-being, housing/environment, and health/safety-the UK's performance is broadly similar to the OECD average.
	UNICEF's analysis brings out the relationship between lower inequality and higher median scores. UNICEF has found that those countries with lower 'bottom-end' inequality are also those countries with higher median scores, particularly for education and health well-being. This suggests that it is possible to reduce inequality and have high performance in a country. Similarly, the 2010 Schools White Paper "The Importance of Teaching" highlights the importance of reducing attainment gaps between the rich and poor while maintaining high standards.
	The Government remain committed to the goal of eradicating child poverty by 2020. The Child Poverty Act 2010 requires the Government to publish a child poverty strategy by spring 2011. To inform this process the Government conducted an eight week period of consultation with prominent members of the child poverty lobby and other interested parties. The consultation ran for eight weeks from 21 December 2010 to 15 February 2011.
	The Government continue to believe that work provides parents and their children with the most sustainable route out of poverty. The Government want parents to take advantage of the employment opportunities currently available. As a consequence the UK welfare system is being reformed to allow individuals and parents keep more of their earnings and progress in work. This will enable parents to give their children the best possible start in life providing stable financial support for families in the crucial early years of a child's life. A strong foundation in the early years increases the probability of positive outcomes across the child's life; a weak foundation significantly increases the risk of later difficulties.

Drugs: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate has been made of the proportion of children under 15 in each region who have  (a) used cannabis and  (b) been sexually active in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Sarah Teather: Information on cannabis use among young people aged 11-15 was provided in the report Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People, published by the NHS Information Centre in 2009. A regional breakdown, with data averaged over three years due to the survey size, is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Proportion of young people aged 11-15 who took cannabis in the last year (average for 2006-08) 
			  Region  Percentage 
			 North East 8 
			 North West 12 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 11 
			 West Midlands 10 
			 East Midlands 9 
			 East of England 10 
			 London 9 
			 South East 9 
			 South West 10 
		
	
	The Government do not routinely collect data on sexual activity by age. It is also the case that the surveys that have been carried out on this issue, typically report on sexual activity below age 16, rather than under 15, given that the age of consent is 16. The most authoritative and relevant of the surveys in this area is the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (NATSAL), which is conducted every 10 years. NATSAL 2000 identified that among the 16 to 19-year-olds interviewed, 30% of young men and 26% of young women reported that their first sexual experience occurred before they reached age 16. This was consistent with the findings for young men and women in the survey who were aged 25-29, indicating that there had been no change in the proportion of young people having sex before age 16 over the preceding decade. The median age of first sex among 16 to 19-year-olds in the survey in 2000, was age 16.
	Fieldwork for NATSAL 2010 has been completed, but the findings have not yet been published. However, a range of separate smaller scale surveys that have been undertaken since 2000 have consistently shown between a quarter and a third of young people reporting that they had their first sexual experience before age 16. A tracking survey that was used to assess young people's reactions to the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy's media campaign showed that in 2007, the mean age for first sex among young men was 16.48 years and for young women was 16.53 years. These results were the same as the results from the same survey carried out in 2004.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students in  (a) Birmingham, Ladywood constituency and  (b) Birmingham in receipt of education maintenance allowance (EMA) will have their EMA terminated before their programme of study is complete.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education and manage the Capita contract. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, has written to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Peter Lauener, dated 22 March 2011:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question PQ43118 that asked:
	"How many students in (a) Birmingham, Ladywood constituency and (b) Birmingham in receipt of education maintenance allowance (EMA) will cease to receive EMA before their course is complete".
	The application form for Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) does not require either the name of the course or its end date. Therefore we do not hold information on the number of students in receipt of EMA who are on programmes of study which are due to continue after EMA terminates on 31 August 2011.

Educational Psychology

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assistance his Department provides to educational psychologists.

Sarah Teather: The Department does not provide assistance to educational psychologists (EPs) who are in post-it is for employers to provide the necessary support to their work force. The Department's support for EPs is provided through the Children's Workforce Development Council's (CWDC) administration of a scheme for collecting voluntary subscriptions from local authorities (LAs) to support EPs' initial training. Since LA financial contributions have been steadily decreasing, this has involved CWDC meeting the shortfall in funding.
	However, the current funding scheme is not sustainable. We have announced that the Department will meet the costs of completing the cohorts of educational psychologists currently in training, and for one further cohort due to begin training in September 2011. We are taking advantage of the opportunity presented by the consultation on the Green Paper "Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability" to consider options for placing the training of educational psychologists on a more secure footing.

Families

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the issue of conflicts in the family.

Sarah Teather: The Department has commissioned and is evaluating the following pieces of research which cover the issue of conflicts in the family:
	In 2009, the Department commissioned research on the separating parents child poverty pilots. The separating parents child poverty pilots are testing how to better co-ordinate support and services for parents who are separating or have recently separated. The evaluation study looking at the effectiveness of these pilots will complete in spring 2011.
	In 2010, the Department commissioned the evaluation of the Parenting Information Programme (PIP). The PIP is a contact activity supporting parents to focus on the needs of their child following their separation, to improve their relations and help them reach an amicable agreement on contact arrangements. The evaluation will provide evidence on the effectiveness of the PIP ordered by courts to support contact agreements, along with the sustainability and quality of these arrangements. This research is due to end in March 2011.
	In 2006, the then Department for Children, Schools and Families commissioned the National Centre for Social Research to conduct a programme of research to monitor and evaluate family intervention projects (FIPS) as they were then known. Family intervention services work with the most challenging families and tackle issues such as antisocial behaviour, youth crime, unmet health issues, family functioning and domestic violence concerns, issues at school (such as truancy/exclusion), poor housing and unemployment in families. This programme of work is currently ongoing and the data it generates is used to inform official statistical releases which provide a range of information about family interventions. The most recent official statistical release can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d000956/osr09-2010.pdf
	In addition, data from the monitoring of FIPS has been used to develop further commentary and analysis of the families receiving the intervention services. This additional information was published by the Department for Education in November 2010 in the report "Monitoring and Evaluation of Family Interventions". This report can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/publications//eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR044.pdf

Free Schools: Ilford

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Transport the traffic implications associated with the establishment of a free school at the Downshall Centre in Ilford;
	(2)  what discussions Partnership for Schools has had with representatives of Redbridge Council on the future of the Downshall Centre in Ilford;
	(3)  when his Department was notified of the proposal to use the Downshall Centre in Ilford as a location for a free school;
	(4)  what discussions his Department had with representatives of  (a) Redbridge Council and  (b) Partnership for Schools prior to the decision on the location of a free school in Ilford;
	(5)  what consultation  (a) his Department and  (b) Partnership for Schools conducted on the location of a free school in Ilford;
	(6)  if he will meet representatives of Redbridge Council to discuss the potential effects on local community groups of the establishment of a free school at the Downshall Centre in Ilford;
	(7)  when his Department was first informed that E-Act wished to purchase the Downshall Centre in Ilford.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 22 March 2011
	The application form for the proposed free school in Ilford was received by the Department on 5 November 2010. It set out several site options, including the Downshall Centre. Since November 2010, Partnerships for Schools, the proposers (E-ACT), officials from the Department and representatives of Redbridge council have had discussions about the site of the proposed free school, including the potential use of the Downshall Centre. These discussions have included the need for the council to relocate some community facilities if the Downshall Centre is used.
	The project is currently at the business case and plan stage. The business case and plan is being developed and will include the case for the use of a chosen site by the proposed school. No final decision to open the school will be made until a full assessment of the business case and plan has been completed and the Secretary of State has decided whether to sign the funding agreement with the proposers. As part of this process, the proposers (E-ACT) will be consulting on their plans to open a free school in Ilford. If the project proceeds, then transport issues will be fully considered and other agencies will be involved as necessary before the school opens.

Higher Education: Sports

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans  (a) he and  (b) each Minister in his Department has to visit specialist sports colleges in the next three months.

Tim Loughton: Subject to diary pressures and any urgent parliamentary business, the Secretary of State and other Ministers at the Department for Education plan to visit a number of educational institutions over the next three months including those with a specialism in sport.

Literacy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the adult literacy rate was for each  (a) region,  (b) local authority area and  (c) parliamentary constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.

John Hayes: The most recent data available on adult literacy rates in England are those published in the 2003 Skills for Life survey.(1) This survey was based on fieldwork conducted between May 2002 and June 2003 with adults aged between 16 and 65 (inclusive). Literacy levels for the nine major administrative regions in England reported by the survey are included in table 1.
	(1) Williams, J., S. Clemens, K. Oleinikoya and K. Tarvin (2003) "The Skills for Life Survey: a national needs and impact survey of literacy, numeracy and ICT skills", Department for Education and Skills: Research Report 490, available online at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/RB490.pdf
	accessed 18 March 2011.
	
		
			  Table 1: Literacy by region (percentage of population) 
			  Region/literacy level  Level 1( 1)  and above 
			 North East 78 
			 London 81 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 81 
			 West Midlands 82 
			 North West 83 
			 East Midlands 84 
			 South West 86 
			 East of England 88 
			 South East 88 
			   
			 England 84 
			 (1) Equivalent to a low-level GCSE (D-G)) or above. Calculated as 100-(percentage at Entry Level 3 or below).  Base: All respondents with literacy scores (7873)  Source: Skills for Life survey, 2003: p.42 
		
	
	Modelled estimates of literacy levels for approximately 350 local education authorities (LEA) in England were calculated using the survey data. The best way to access information on individual LEAs is via the Skills for Life survey web-tool available at:
	www.bis.gov.uk/skillsforlifesurvey
	Literacy levels for each LEA can be located by accessing the website and clicking on the relevant Government Office region hyperlink (e.g. 'East Midlands') and then on the relevant Learning and Skills Council area (e.g. 'Derbyshire'). This then provides a list of LEAs in the given area. The LEA level results can be accessed by clicking on the hyperlink to results by LEA next to the table icon (e.g. Derbyshire results by LEA).
	The survey did not provide literacy results by parliamentary constituency.
	The Skills for Life survey was repeated in 2010. Fieldwork is now complete, and results of the survey are due to be made public later this year.

Pre-school Education: Research

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what research into early years education his Department is providing funding.

Sarah Teather: Research into early years education for which the Department is providing funding is as follows:
	
		
			  Project title  Project description 
			 Implementation Study of Free Early Years Education for Two Year Old Children Identifying good practice in implementing free early education for disadvantaged two year old children. The research is based on interviews with local authorities and child care providers. 
			 Provider Influence On The Early Home Learning Environment To help identify what early years settings could do to better support parents to develop their children's learning at home. The findings identify best practice; help quantify the benefits of support to parents and offer suggestions about how to make best use of resources. 
			 Child Development Grant Evaluation Aimed at assessing what impact the incentives and support offered by the Child Development Grant have on engagement. 
			 National Evaluation of Sure Start Studies the effectiveness of Sure Start local programmes in England and will last until 2012. It is made up of several sections: Implementation, Impact, Local Context Analysis, Cost Effectiveness and Support to Local Programmes. 
			 Evaluation of Disabled Children's Access to Childcare (DCATCH)-Pilot DCATCH is a pilot initiative running from March 2008 to March 2011; the focus of the pilots has been on improving the range and quality of child care for families of disabled children, and involving families in shaping child care services. The aims of the evaluation include: (i) to evaluate the impacts of these projects on disabled children and their families; and (ii) identify key lessons for policy development on child care provision for disabled children. 
			 The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey (2010-2013) Provides robust information on the key characteristics of child care provision in the early years and child care sector, as well as information on its workforce and the costs of child care that is available 
			 The Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents 2010-2012 Provides nationally representative annual statistics concerning parents' views on, and experiences of, different types of child care. The research is based on interviews with parents of children aged 0-14 
			 Evaluation of Graduate Leader Fund (GLF) The GLF focuses specifically on the goal of placing a graduate leader in every PVI full day care setting by 2015. The evaluation consists of a range of research activities designed to assess the impact and implementation of GLF. 
			 The Evaluation of Children's Centres in England A long-term and substantive evaluation looking at a broad range of children's centres across the country, the different models of provision, and their impact on service users. The key aims are to provide rigorous information about the effectiveness of children's centres. 
			 The Extension of the Effective Pre School and Primary Education (EPPE) Project to end of Key Stage 3 (KS3) EPPE is large scale, longitudinal study that follows the developmental progress of 3,000 children originally in various types of pre-school education. This element provides an additional extension in order to follow the same cohort to the end of key stage 3. 
			 The Millennium Cohort Study A multi-disciplinary research project following the lives of around 19,000 children born in the UK in 2000-01. The study has been tracking the children through their early childhood years and plans to follow them into adulthood. 
			 Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children-ALSPAC A large-scale longitudinal study of children born in Avon during the early 1990s. More than 14,000 mothers enrolled during pregnancy in 1991 and 1992, and the health and development of their children has been followed in great detail ever since. 
			 Effective Pre-school, primary and secondary education 3-14 (EPPSE)-continuation to 16 This latest extension to the project: continues to follow the same group of students (originally from EPPE) through their final year of compulsory schooling (year 11, age 16) and on to their post-16 educational, training and employment choices.

Private Education

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many independent schools applied to become  (a) academies and  (b) free schools in the last year for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: Independent schools that wish to become academies follow the free school application process and are considered alongside applications for new schools. To date, 105 independent schools have applied to become free schools.

Schools: Transport

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2011,  Official Report, column 867W, on the North East, what method of transport he used to travel to the three schools and colleges; and what the cost of the transport was.

Tim Loughton: The Secretary of State for Education and accompanying official travelled economy class by train, and a car provided by the Government Car Despatch Agency. Total cost for both travellers was £715.26.

Special Educational Needs

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in England and Wales providing specialist services for students with disabilities provide such services exclusively for children aged 16 to 18 years.

Sarah Teather: The information requested is not held centrally.
	The latest published information on special educational needs can be found in the "Special Educational Needs in England: January 2010" Statistical First Release at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000939/index.shtml
	Information relating to Wales is the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly Government.

Special Educational Needs

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to his Green Paper on special educational needs, which items of guidance to schools and local authorities he plans to withdraw.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 18 March 2011
	 In the Green Paper "Support and Aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability", published on 9 March, we announced that we will retain, but review and update, the statutory guidance to schools and local authorities in the SEN code of practice to reflect the proposals for change in the Green Paper and responses to the consultation.
	In the Green Paper we ask whether the statutory guidance on inclusion and school choice, 'Inclusive Schooling', allows appropriately for parental preference for either mainstream or special schools. In the light of the responses to the Green Paper we will consider whether to incorporate this guidance into the new code.
	The Green Paper also made a commitment to simplify and improve non-statutory guidance so that it is clear, accessible and helpful, and we will withdraw guidance that does not provide useful support.
	On non-statutory guidance, the Department issued guidance on pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD) in 2008. The Green Paper is consulting on the categorisation of BESD and whether the term adequately identifies difficulties that may underlie difficult behaviour. The revised and updated code will include guidance on behaviour, following consideration of responses to the consultation, and we intend, therefore, to withdraw the BESD guidance. The revised code will also incorporate guidance on the effective use of data in monitoring the progress and achievement of pupils with SEN and disabilities currently set out in guidance on categorising SEN for School Census purposes (2005), Progression Guidance (2009), and Breaking the Link between Special Educational Needs and Low Attainment (2010).
	We will remove good practice guidance on autism spectrum disorders (2002) as this has been superseded by the web-based 2010 in-service training materials on autism. We will also remove the SEN Toolkit, as it replicates much of the existing code, and the SEN Governors' Guide video which is now out of date in both content and format.

Special Educational Needs

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on special needs education.

Sarah Teather: On 9 March, the Department published "Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability". This Green Paper has been informed by a call for views, which received over 1,800 responses, 40% of which came from parents of disabled children and children with SEN.
	In developing the Green Paper the Department has also heard from a range of professionals from health, education, social care and other areas, representative bodies, the voluntary and community sector, and children and young people and their families.
	The Green Paper is now out for consultation until 30 June.

Special Educational Needs: Redditch

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many  (a) special needs schools and  (b) children attending special needs schools there are in Redditch constituency.

Sarah Teather: At January 2010 there were two special needs schools in Redditch with a total of 185 sole and two dual registered pupils. Both schools are maintained special schools.

Special Educational Needs: South West

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many children and young people at each age up to 19 in  (a) North Somerset,  (b) Bath and North East Somerset,  (c) Somerset,  (d) the City of Bristol and  (e) Dorset have a disability or a special educational need;
	(2)  how many children and young people at each age up to 19 in  (a) North Somerset,  (b) Bath and North East Somerset,  (c) Somerset,  (d) the City of Bristol and  (e) Dorset (i) have a statement of special educational need and (ii) have a statement of special educational need which was made at the request of a parent or carer; and on what date each such statement was issued.

Sarah Teather: Information on the number of disabled children is not currently available. Such information is being collected for the first time and on a voluntary basis as part of the spring 2011 school census. Future collection and publication arrangements for data on disability will be considered in the light of data and feedback collected in response to January 2011 school census returns.
	Information on the number of pupils with special educational needs, with and without statements, is shown in the following tables.
	The Department does not collect information on who requested the statement, or the date of issue of the statement.
	
		
			  All schools excluding independent and general hospital schools( 1) : number of pupils( 2)  with special educational needs (SEN) by age( 3) , as at January 2010, in North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset, Somerset, city of Bristol and Dorset local authorities 
			   North Somerset  Bath and North East Somerset 
			   Pupils with SEN without statements  Pupils with statements of SEN  Total( 4)  Pupils with SEN without statements  Pupils with statements of SEN  Total( 4) 
			  Age as at 31 August 2009:  No.  %( 5)  No.  %( 5)  No.  %( 5)  No.  %( 5)  No.  %( 5)  No.  %( 5) 
			 2 and under (6)- (6)- 0 0.0 (6)- (6)- 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 
			 3 14 3.7 0 0.0 15 3.7 12 4.1 0 0.0 10 4.1 
			 4 149 7.0 16 0.7 165 7.7 102 6.0 22 1.3 125 7.3 
			 5 343 15.8 19 0.9 360 16.7 214 13.3 20 1.2 235 14.6 
			 6 416 19.8 17 0.8 435 20.6 312 18.8 42 2.5 355 21.3 
			 7 467 22.3 18 0.9 485 23.2 369 22.4 36 2.2 405 24.6 
			 8 417 20.5 23 1.1 440 21.6 340 20.9 47 2.9 385 23.8 
			 9 490 22.8 31 1.4 520 24.2 369 22.3 55 3.3 425 25.6 
			 10 474 21.7 37 1.7 510 23.4 405 24.1 50 3.0 455 27.1 
			 11 513 22.8 63 2.8 575 25.6 337 16.1 48 2.3 385 18.4 
			 12 443 19.8 54 2.4 495 22.2 290 13.0 76 3.4 365 16.5 
			 13 535 23.6 58 2.6 595 26.1 270 12.6 79 3.7 350 16.3 
			 14 646 27.5 62 2.6 710 30.1 184 8.6 81 3.8 265 12.4 
			 15 635 27.8 43 1.9 680 29.6 214 9.7 87 3.9 300 13.6 
			 16 80 9.4 25 2.9 105 12.3 22 2.1 26 2.5 50 4.6 
			 17 36 5.3 22 3.2 60 8.5 19 2.2 24 2.7 45 4.9 
			 18 (6)- (6)- 3 6.8 5 11.4 3 6.3 9 18.8 10 25.0 
			 19 and over 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 
			 All pupils(4) 5,660 20.0 490 1.7 6,150 21.8 3,460 14.0 700 2.8 4,165 16.9 
		
	
	
		
			   Somerset  City of Bristol 
			   Pupils with SEN without statements  Pupils with statements of SEN  Total( 4)  Pupils with SEN without statements  Pupils with statements of SEN  Total( 4) 
			  Age as at 31 August 2009:  No.  %( 5)  No.  %( 5)  No.  %( 5)  No.  %( 5)  No.  %( 5)  No.  %( 5) 
			 2 and under (6)- (6)- (6)- (6)- (6)- (6)- 16 4.1 (6)- (6)- 15 4.3 
			 3 12 2.3 0 0.0 10 2.3 278 9.8 14 0.5 290 10.3 
			 4 460 8.6 14 0.3 475 8.8 354 7.9 53 1.2 405 9.1 
			 5 759 14.4 26 0.5 785 14.9 564 13.3 94 2.2 660 15.5 
			 6 1,069 20.0 24 0.4 1,095 20.4 756 18.3 91 2.2 845 20.5 
			 7 1,071 21.5 34 0.7 1,105 22.2 741 19.9 94 2.5 835 22.4 
			 8 1,114 21.7 38 0.7 1,150 22.4 747 19.7 124 3.3 870 22.9 
			 9 1,255 23.5 55 1.0 1,310 24.5 764 20.4 125 3.3 890 23.7 
			 10 1,227 22.3 58 1.1 1,285 23.4 682 18.5 148 4.0 830 22.5 
			 11 1,204 22.3 72 1.3 1,275 23.6 640 19.4 150 4.6 790 24.0 
			 12 1,072 19.2 119 2.1 1,190 21.3 604 18.5 181 5.5 785 24.0 
			 13 1,055 19.9 116 2.2 1,170 22.1 510 16.8 154 5.1 665 21.9 
			 14 990 17.8 119 2.1 1,110 20.0 520 16.7 180 5.8 700 22.5 
			 15 1,182 20.4 130 2.2 1,310 22.6 432 14.4 144 4.8 575 19.1 
			 16 45 4.4 33 3.2 80 7.6 66 6.7 43 4.4 110 11.1 
			 17 26 3.2 21 2.6 45 5.8 34 4.3 27 3.5 60 7.8 
			 18 (6)- (6)- 17 18.1 20 20.2 (6)- (6)- 26 20.6 30 22.2 
			 19 and over 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 (6)- (6)- 0 0.0 (6)- (6)- 
			 All pupils(4) 12,545 18.7 875 1.3 13,420 20.0 7,710 15.8 1,650 3.4 9,360 19.2 
		
	
	
		
			  Dorset 
			   Pupils with SEN without statements  Pupils with statements of SEN  Total( 4) 
			  Age as at 31 August 2009:  No.  %( 5)  No.  %( 5)  No.  %( 5) 
			 2 and under 0 0.0 (6)- (6)- (6)- (6)- 
			 3 9 4.2 4 1.9 15 6.1 
			 4 373 9.9 35 0.9 410 10.8 
			 5 703 18.6 50 1.3 755 20.0 
			 6 797 21.2 57 1.5 855 22.7 
			 7 972 26.1 72 1.9 1,045 28.0 
			 8 959 25.6 71 1.9 1,030 27.5 
			 9 999 25.4 99 2.5 1,100 27.9 
			 10 977 23.8 100 2.4 1,075 26.2 
			 11 1,041 22.1 138 2.9 1,180 25.0 
			 12 933 20.1 145 3.1 1,080 23.2 
			 13 887 20.3 113 2.6 1,000 22.9 
			 14 802 18.6 149 3.5 950 22.0 
			 15 780 17.7 150 3.4 930 21.0 
			 16 163 6.7 40 1.7 205 8.4 
			 17 93 4.8 20 1.0 115 5.8 
			 18 10 5.1 24 12.2 35 17.3 
			 19 and over 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 
			 All pupils(4) 10,500 19.4 1,270 2.3 11,765 21.8 
			 (1) Includes maintained and direct grant nursery schools, maintained primary schools, maintained secondary schools, academies, city technology colleges, pupil referral units, maintained and non-maintained special schools. (2) Includes sole registrations. In pupil referral units, includes pupils registered with other providers and at further education colleges. (3) Age as at 31 August 2009. (4) Totals have been rounded to the nearest five. (5) The number of pupils by type of SEN expressed as a percentage of all pupils of the same age. (6) One or two pupils, or a percentage based on one or two pupils.  Source: School Census.

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether  (a) he and  (b) Ministers in his Department are participating in volunteering activities as part of his Department's involvement in the big society initiative.

Sarah Teather: The Secretary of State for Education and Ministers within the Department participate in a range of volunteering activities.

Truancy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the position of England in international comparator rates for truancy.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has not assessed the position of England in international comparator rates for truancy.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to answer Question  (a) (i) 28050 and (ii) 28051, tabled on 29 November 2010 and  (b) 28761, tabled on 1 December 2010, on school sports partnerships.

Tim Loughton: Responses to the hon. Member's questions were answered as follows:
	PQ 28050: 12 January 2011,  Official Report, column 344W
	PQ 28051: 22 March 2011,  Official Report, column 1046W
	PQ 28761: 13 January 2011,  Official Report, column 449W

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Civil Partnerships

Guto Bebb: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals to enable civil partnerships to take place in religious settings; whether she plans to undertake a consultation on this issue; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: We announced on 17 February 2011 our intention to remove the ban in England and Wales on civil partnership registrations being held on religious premises by implementing section 202 of the Equality Act 2010. As section 202 is a permissive provision, religious organisations who do not wish to host civil partnership registrations will not be required to do so as a result of this change.
	In the spring we will launch a consultation on proposals for how civil partnership registrations may be held on religious premises.

Stress

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what arrangements are in place in her Department to  (a) reduce levels of work-based stress and  (b) provide assistance to staff diagnosed with such stress.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office (GEO) has sought to find efficient ways of working and to allocate work fairly so that stress is minimised. Care is taken to set realistic deadlines for work and staff capability is assessed before allocating work. GEO has also developed a Well Being at Work policy. This policy recognises the Health and Safety Commission's stress management risk factors and includes self help tools designed to help alleviate stress. It also shows what formal support is available, through an Employee Assistance Programme. GEO staff may also seek advice and guidance through the Occupational Health Service.

Women

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities who attended the pre-commission on the Status of Women briefing organised by the Government Equalities Office in January 2011; and which organisations they represented.

Lynne Featherstone: There were 40 attendees at the pre-UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 55th Session briefing organised by the Government Equalities Office. The following list gives the UK non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the other Government Departments (OGDs) represented.
	 NGOs represented
	National Alliance of Women's Organisations (NAWO)
	Widows for Peace through Democracy
	Soroptimist International
	Widows Rights International
	UN Women UK
	International Council of Jewish Women
	National Council of Women Great Britain
	Baha'i International
	Northern Ireland Women
	European Platform
	Engender
	Scottish Women's Convention
	UK Resource Centre for Science, Engineering and Technology
	International Federation of University Women
	World Association of Girl Guides and Girls Scouts
	International Federation of Business and Professional Women
	UNAMINA
	Gender Users Statistics Group
	The Haven, Wolverhampton
	Womankind International
	Trades Union Congress
	UNA UK
	 OGDs represented
	Department for International Development
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	Department of Education
	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	Home Office.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Departmental Plants

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on indoor and outdoor plants and trees since his appointment.

Gregory Barker: The Department has not spent any money on indoor or outdoor plants since the appointment of the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne).
	Plants in my own office are grown by myself and purchased at my own expense.

Departmental Public Bodies

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the UK Chemical Weapons Convention National Authority Advisory Committee.

Charles Hendry: It is estimated by the Department that the abolition of the UK Chemical Weapons Convention National Authority Advisory Committee (NAAC) will result in an annual saving of approximately £1,800.

Departmental Stationary

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of his departmental stationery comes from recycled or sustainable sources.

Gregory Barker: For the period January to December 2010 the Department of Energy and Climate Change purchased 35% of its total stationery requirements (paper and non-paper) from recycled or sustainable sources. In addition 100% of paper supplied to the Department is either recycled or is sourced from managed forests.

Electricity: Meters

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what criteria his Department plans to use to assess the costs and benefits of the roll-out of smart meters.

Charles Hendry: The Department has published impact assessments setting out the expected costs and benefits of the roll-out of smart meters. Costs and benefits have been assessed in line with the HMT Green Book, which sets out the core principles on which all public sector economic assessment should be appraised.
	Costs and benefits are quantified where possible and assessed against a base case scenario which assumes that there is no substantive roll-out of smart meters. Costs and benefits are also adjusted to account for the timing of their incidence by discounting them, and for any risk and optimism bias. The impacts of changes in key variables such as energy prices are also considered.
	The latest impact assessments were published in July 2010 and may be accessed via the DECC smart meters website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/smart_mtr_imp/smart_mtr_imp.aspx

Renewable Energy: British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on  (a) solar energy and  (b) tidal energy projects in British Overseas Territories in each of the last three years.

Gregory Barker: DECC has not spent any money on solar energy or tidal energy projects in British Overseas Territories in any of the last three years.

Renewable Energy: Heating

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department made of the number of properties which would be affected by roll-out of the planned Renewable Heat Incentive before the recent announcement of its revision; and what estimate it has made of the number of households which will be affected by the new scheme.

Gregory Barker: The Renewable Heat Premium Payment will provide support of £15 million in 2011-12 for up to 25,000 domestic renewable heat installations. This will be followed by the introduction of RHI tariffs for domestic installations in 2012. However, while we expect this number to grow substantially, we cannot yet give estimates for numbers of domestic installations supported under the RHI tariffs as we have not determined tariff levels and other issues around its operation. A consultation on these details is planned for later in 2011.

Renewable Energy: South West

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the potential for  (a) tidal power,  (b) wind power and  (c) solar power in renewable energy projects in (i) Totnes constituency, (ii) South Devon and (iii) the South West.

Gregory Barker: The Department assessed the potential development of marine energy projects in England and Wales as part of the development of the Second Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) scoping report. The SEA Environmental report has just been published and is now open for consultation. The SEA should pave the way for future leasing rounds for marine (wave and tidal) energy in English waters.
	The Department has funded renewable and low carbon energy opportunity assessment studies covering some onshore renewable technologies in England, including for the south-west. We believe that the studies will be helpful to local planning authorities and local communities in drawing up local and neighbourhood plans. It will be for local planning authorities and communities to decide how best to use the findings of the studies to inform their development plans and to maximise opportunities for the deployment of renewable and low carbon energy in their areas.
	DECC has not made an assessment of offshore wind potential in the south-west. However, in January 2010, the Crown Estate leased the Bristol Channel Round 3 offshore wind Zone 8 to RWE Npower Renewables, the UK subsidiary of RWE Innogy. The target capacity for this zone is 1.5 GW. The total Bristol Channel zone area is 950 km(2).
	Following the award of the zone, RWE Npower renewables announced their intention to develop a 1.5 GW wind farm called 'Atlantic Array' within the zone. The site extends over 492 km(2) and is 14 km from the north Devon coast and 18 km from the south Wales coast at its closest point.
	The Element Energy report on 'The Growth Potential for Microgeneration in England, Wales and Scotland' provides an overall picture of the current and potential future level of demand for microgeneration, including solar power. It includes regional specific information. Further information is available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/publications/Default. aspx?term=potential%20of%20microgeneration%20 teclinolsies&tags=&urn=&fromDate=&toDate=&alpha

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department provided to each charity it funds in each year since its inception; and how much he has allocated for funding to each such charity in each of the next five years.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not set aside a specific amount for charities and voluntary organisations. However, charities and voluntary organisations have been and continue to be able to apply, via our delivery partners, for grant funding under certain DECC low carbon schemes.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: Standards

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital accident and emergency departments in each strategic health authority did not meet the target of treating 98 per cent. of patients within four hours in each of the last six quarters in which the target was applied.

Simon Burns: The information shown in the following table is the number of organisations in each strategic health authority (SHA) that did not meet the target of treating 98% of patients within four hours in each of the last six quarters for which the target applied.
	
		
			  SHA name   Quarter  Number of organisations  Number of organisations not meeting the 98% target 
			 North East 2010-11 Q1 8 0 
			 North East 2009-10 Q4 8 1 
			 North East 2009-10 Q3 8 1 
			 North East 2009-10 Q2 8 1 
			 North East 2009-10 Q1 8 0 
			 North East 2008-09 Q4 8 0 
			  
			 North West 2010-11 Q1 25 4 
			 North West 2009-10 Q4 25 7 
			 North West 2009-10 Q3 25 14 
			 North West 2009-10 Q2 25 5 
			 North West 2009-10 Q1 25 3 
			 North West 2008-09 Q4 25 12 
			  
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2010-11 Q1 15 3 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2009-10 Q4 15 2 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2009-10 Q3 15 5 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2009-10 Q2 15 0 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2009-10 Q1 15 2 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2008-09 Q4 15 4 
			  
			 East Midlands 2010-11 Q1 8 4 
			 East Midlands 2009-10 Q4 8 4 
			 East Midlands 2009-10 Q3 8 6 
			 East Midlands 2009-10 Q2 8 0 
			 East Midlands 2009-10 Q1 8 1 
			 East Midlands 2008-09 Q4 8 4 
			  
			 West Midlands 2010-11 Q1 16 7 
			 West Midlands 2009-10 Q4 16 10 
			 West Midlands 2009-10 Q3 16 11 
			 West Midlands 2009-10 Q2 16 3 
			 West Midlands 2009-10 Q1 16 2 
			 West Midlands 2008-09 Q4 16 8 
			  
			 East of England 2010-11 Q1 17 5 
			 East of England 2009-10 Q4 17 9 
			 East of England 2009-10 Q3 17 6 
			 East of England 2009-10 Q2 17 0 
			 East of England 2009-10 Q1 17 1 
			 East of England 2008-09 Q4 17 10 
			  
			 London 2010-11 Q1 25 4 
			 London 2009-10 Q4 25 10 
			 London 2009-10 Q3 25 9 
			 London 2009-10 Q2 25 0 
			 London 2009-10 Q1 25 1 
			 London 2008-09 Q4 27 14 
			  
			 South East Coast 2010-11 Q1 12 3 
			 South East Coast 2009-10 Q4 12 4 
			 South East Coast 2009-10 Q3 12 3 
			 South East Coast 2009-10 Q2 12 1 
			 South East Coast 2009-10 Q1 12 0 
			 South East Coast 2008-09 Q4 13 6 
			  
			 South Central 2010-11 Q1 10 1 
			 South Central 2009-10 Q4 10 5 
			 South Central 2009-10 Q3 10 7 
			 South Central 2009-10 Q2 10 2 
			 South Central 2009-10 Q1 10 2 
			 South Central 2008-09 Q4 10 5 
			  
			 South West 2010-11 Q1 17 1 
			 South West 2009-10 Q4 17 8 
			 South West 2009-10 Q3 17 6 
			 South West 2009-10 Q2 17 1 
			 South West 2009-10 Q1 17 1 
			 South West 2008-09 Q4 17 9 
			  Notes: 1. From Q1 2010-11, the calculation of accident and emergency (A and E) performance changed. Prior to 2010-11, the calculation identified the proportion of breaches with respect to all A and E attendances, irrespective of whether the time spent in A and E was known. The new calculation uses the breaches as a proportion of total attendances for which the time spent in A and E is known. Any attendances for which the time spent in A and E is unknown are excluded from the total attendances for the purpose of this calculation. 2. Figures shown include all acute trusts in England. Percentage figures calculated including activity at partner primary care trusts or independent sector providers.  Source: Unify2 data collection: QMAE.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Standards

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital accident and emergency departments in each strategic health authority have met the target to treat 95 per cent. of patients within four hours in each quarter since the target was reduced from 98 per cent.

Simon Burns: The information shown in the following table is the number of organisations in each strategic health authority (SHA) that met the target to treat 95% of patients within four hours in each quarter since the target was reduced from 98%.
	
		
			  SHA name  Year  Quarter  Number of organisations  Number of organisations meeting the 95% target 
			 North East 2010-11 3 8 8 
			 North East 2010-11 2 8 8 
			 North West 2010-11 3 25 25 
			 North West 2010-11 2 25 25 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2010-11 3 15 12 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2010-11 2 15 15 
			 East Midlands 2010-11 3 8 6 
			 East Midlands 2010-11 2 8 8 
			 West Midlands 2010-11 3 16 13 
			 West Midlands 2010-11 2 16 15 
			 East of England 2010-11 3 17 15 
			 East of England 2010-11 2 17 17 
			 London 2010-11 3 25 23 
			 London 2010-11 2 25 24 
			 South East Coast 2010-11 3 12 8 
			 South East Coast 2010-11 2 12 10 
			 South Central 2010-11 3 10 7 
			 South Central 2010-11 2 10 10 
			 South West 2010-11 3 17 17 
			 South West 2010-11 2 17 17 
			  Notes: 1. From Q1 2010-11, the calculation of accident and emergency (A&E) performance changed. Prior to 2010-11 the calculation identified the proportion of breaches with respect to all A&E attendances, irrespective of whether the time spent in A&E was known. The new calculation uses the breaches as a proportion of total attendances for which the time spent in A&E is known. Any attendances for which the time spent in A&E is unknown are excluded from the total attendances for the purpose of this calculation. 2. Figures shown include all acute trusts in England. Percentage figures calculated including activity at partner primary care trust or independent sector providers.  Source: Unify2 data collection-QMAE

Alcoholic Drinks

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on the contents of Ministerial drinks cabinets since 12 May 2010.

Simon Burns: Nil.

Ambulance Services

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on arrangements to improve liaison between ambulance services and other emergency responders; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of cooperation between blue-light services; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department of Health, along with the Home Office and the Department of Communities and Local Government, continues to encourage and support regular communication across all emergency services. While the police, fire and rescue, and NHS ambulance services will continue to offer vital, but very different and separate services, there are continuous discussions to identify areas where the emergency services could work more closely and effectively together.

Departmental Contracts

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the change in the  (a) volume and  (b) monetary value of services provided by his Department which have been contracted out to (i) the third sector and (ii) the private sector between January 2005 and December 2010.

Simon Burns: From the Department's Central Procurement's Database it is not possible to accurately distinguish between services being provided by the Department and to the Department. To accurately identify services being provided by the Department, and then whether the provider is classified as third sector or private sector, would involve an inquiry to and search for every Directorate within the Department which could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Drugs: Misuse

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding will be available for drug and alcohol services after April 2011; and what bodies will be responsible for such services.

Anne Milton: Central funding for drug treatment is currently provided to primary care trusts (PCTs) in the form of the pooled treatment budget. £406.7 million is being made available for 2011-12. In addition funding for the Drug Intervention Programme of £60 million and funding of £69 million is available to national health service trusts for drug treatment and interventions in adult and children and young people's secure settings.
	Alcohol interventions and services are funded by the general allocation that PCTs receive from the Department. It is the responsibility of PCTs to assess the needs of their communities, to agree what to prioritise and to commission services.
	From April 2013, drug and alcohol services will fall within the services that it is proposed will be funded by Public Health England and commissioned by local authorities as part of their new public health functions and funded from their ring-fenced public health budget.
	The Department is carrying out an exercise to determine how much is currently spent on those activities that would be funded from the public health budget, including drug and alcohol services. This work will take account of the outcome of the on-going consultation around the public health White Paper, which ends on 31 March.

Epilepsy: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the London Borough of Bexley were diagnosed with epilepsy in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Burstow: The information requested has never been collected.
	The national Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) records the number of people, aged 18 or over, recorded on practice disease registers who are receiving drug treatment for epilepsy. The register is not a count of patients newly diagnosed with the disease within each year but rather a count of patients receiving drug treatment for epilepsy on a specific day within the year. These data are available for the releases of QOF covering financial years 2005-06 through to 2009-10 at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/audits-and-performance/the-quality-and-outcomes-framework

Genito-urinary Medicine

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown of 16 February 2011,  Official Report, column 860W, on genito-urinary medicine, on what date he plans to publish a new sexual health strategy.

Anne Milton: No decisions have yet been taken on what date this year the document on sexual health will be published.

Health Services: Yorkshire and the Humber

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of spending per head of population was in the  (a) North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust area,  (b) Bradford and Airedale Primary Care Trust area and  (c) area covered by the Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The level of spending per head of population in 2009-10, the most recent financial year for which figures are available, by North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT), Bradford and Airedale PCT and the sum of the constituent PCTs in the Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA) patch are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Organisation  2009-10 (£) 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT 1,475 
			 Bradford and Airedale PCT 1,725 
			 All PCTs in Yorkshire and the Humber SHA economy area 1,643 
			  Note:  "The level of spending" has been interpreted as the total revenue expenditure of the PCTs (the net operating costs).  Source: The net operating cost is taken from the audited summarisation schedules of PCTs for 2009-10. This figure is divided by the PCTs' resident population to derive the spend per head figure.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients  (a) in each primary care trust area in the South West and  (b) in each strategic health authority area were not treated within 18 weeks of referral in each quarter since January 2009.

Simon Burns: The Department collects and publishes monthly referral to treatment data which are used to monitor national health service waiting times. These data include information on how many patients waited more than 18 weeks before starting treatment. The Department does not collect information on the reasons why patients waited longer than 18 weeks but these will include those patients who chose to wait longer for personal or social reasons, for example to work around family or work commitments, or where waiting longer was clinically appropriate. For these reasons, there will always be a number of patients who are not treated within 18 weeks of referral.
	This information is contained in the following tables:
	
		
			  Number of admitted (adjusted) patients in each primary care trust (PCT) area in the South West not treated within 18 weeks of referral per quarter since January 2009 
			  PCT  c ode  PCT name  Q4 2008-09  Q1 2009-10  Q2 2009-10  Q3 2009-10  Q4 2009-10  Q1 2010-11  Q2 2010-11  Q3 2010-11 
			 5FL Bath and North East Somerset PCT 198 242 224 310 672 510 263 416 
			 5QN Bournemouth and Poole Teaching PCT 374 235 215 309 343 245 268 320 
			 5QJ Bristol PCT 555 675 694 764 819 554 442 476 
			 5QP Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT 857 489 635 1,290 677 627 1,211 1,899 
			 5QQ Devon PCT 1,150 1,047 1,009 980 1,160 860 598 666 
			 5QM Dorset PCT 473 344 375 610 910 609 443 682 
			 5QH Gloucestershire PCT 847 815 731 807 867 795 764 1,023 
			 5M8 North Somerset PCT 263 275 323 372 345 304 226 271 
			 5F1 Plymouth Teaching PCT 310 247 239 220 298 203 207 232 
			 5QL Somerset PCT 705 745 885 1,482 1,500 1,354 766 693 
			 5A3 South Gloucestershire PCT 234 281 307 365 378 265 189 225 
			 5K3 Swindon PCT 37 66 136 227 195 122 141 197 
			 TAL Torbay Care Trust 105 106 157 142 160 206 121 78 
			 50K Wiltshire PCT 520 488 407 504 788 668 482 613 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of non-admitted patients in each primary care trust area in the South West not treated within 18 weeks of referral per quarter since January 2009 
			  PCT code  PCT name  Q4 2008-09  Q1 2009-10  Q2 2009-10  Q3 2009-10  Q4 2009-10  Q1 2010-11  Q2 2010-11  Q3 2010-11 
			 5FL Bath and North East Somerset PCT 214 152 150 150 116 86 145 253 
			 5QN Bournemouth And Poole Teaching PCT 180 138 160 140 178 109 124 124 
			 5QJ Bristol PCT 424 368 376 424 511 351 249 275 
			 5QP Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT 516 433 494 398 505 439 585 629 
			 5QQ Devon PCT 718 613 694 655 666 529 542 533 
			 5QM Dorset PCT 258 246 275 324 377 300 266 276 
			 5QH Gloucestershire PCT 702 479 534 571 494 662 699 594 
			 5M8 North Somerset PCT 193 130 189 149 128 121 101 136 
			 5F1 Plymouth Teaching PCT 242 203 193 232 266 289 351 330 
			 5QL Somerset PCT 323 330 403 466 560 505 470 426 
			 5A3 South Gloucestershire PCT 172 113 118 138 247 165 107 125 
			 5K3 Swindon PCT 87 186 323 245 247 171 164 193 
			 TAL Torbay Care Trust 201 153 115 188 154 131 134 189 
			 5QK Wiltshire PCT 481 419 352 346 316 269 330 484 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of admitted (adjusted) patients in each strategic health authority (SHA) area not treated within 18 weeks of referral per quarter since January 2009 
			  SHA name  Q4 2008-09  Q1 2009-10  Q2 2009-10  Q3 2009-10  Q4 2009-10  Q1 2010-11  Q2 2010-11  Q3 2010-11 
			 East Midlands SHA 4,342 3,398 3,587 4,191 4,860 4,245 4,243 4,892 
			 East of England SHA 7,624 7,709 7,472 7,123 - 9,332 8,530 8,559 7,712 
			 London SHA 7,818 6,897 8,462 8,217 7,797 7,592 7,678 7,811 
			 North East SHA 3,078 2,961 2,814 2,468 2,674 2,173 2,116 2,419 
			 North West SHA 10,469 9,261 9,714 10,265 11,221 7,977 8,143 10,023 
			 South Central SHA 4,670 4,355 4,595 5,428 6,935 7,637 7,647 6,932 
			 South East Coast SHA 5,974 5,319 5,449 5,315 7,623 7,546 6,180 6,522 
			 South West SHA 6,628 6,055 6,337 8,382 9,112 7,322 6,121 7,791 
			 West Midlands SHA 6,047 5,309 5,582 6,307 6,759 5,583 6,208 7,113 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA 6,946 6,015 5,907 6,511 6,776 7,271 7,313 7,864 
			 National Commissioning Group 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of non-admitted patients in each strategic health authority (SHA) area not treated within 18 weeks of referral per quarter since January 2009 
			  SHA name  Q4 2008-09  Q1 2009-10  Q2 2009-10  Q3 2009-10  Q4 2009-10  Q1 2010-11  Q2 2010-11  Q3 2010-11 
			 East Midlands SHA 3,884 3,425 3,339 3,582 3,449 2,942 3,654 3,985 
			 East of England SHA 6,822 6,782 6,649 6,619 6,481 5,369 5,713 6,002 
			 London SHA 10,983 10,557 12,323 9,944 8,703 8,106 9,251 9,469 
			 North East SHA 3,189 3,178 3,158 2,530 2,253 2,204 2,628 2,840 
			 North West SHA 11,849 10,845 10,974 10,432 9,929 7,639 8,611 10,790 
			 South Central SHA 3,970 3,616 4,809 4,124 3,795 3,562 3,123 4,234 
			 South East Coast SHA 6,214 5,875 5,495 5,838 7,410 6,195 6,451 6,470 
			 South West SHA 4,711 3,963 4,376 4,426 4,765 4,127 4,267 4,567 
			 West Midlands SHA 7,452 7,058 6,497 6,203 5,583 4,537 5,775 6,233 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA 6,975 5,681 5,098 5,231 5,542 5,404 6,378 6,659 
			 National Commissioning Group 0 1 8 13 45 14 4 2

Lung Cancer

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to develop outcome measures for lung cancer treatment.

Paul Burstow: On 20 December 2010, we published "The NHS Outcomes Framework 2011/12", which will measure the overall progress of the national health service in delivering better health outcomes for patients. The first NHS Outcomes Framework contains outcomes for cancer including 'one-year and five-year survival rates for lung cancer'.
	In addition, we have published "Improving Outcomes -A Strategy for Cancer", which sets out a range of measures to improve outcomes for all cancer patients, including those with lung cancer. Backed by more than £750 million over the next four years, the strategy sets out our plans to improve earlier diagnosis, access to screening and treatment, and patients' experience of care.
	Copies of both publications have been placed in the Library.

NHS: Manpower

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many non-medical staff in each  (a) salary range and  (b) category of employment the NHS employed in each year since 2008.

Simon Burns: The full-time equivalent (FTE) number of non-medical staff employed by the national health service in England in each £5,000 basic pay band for the period April to June for the years 2008, 2009 and 2010 is shown in table 1.
	The numbers of non-medical staff in each staff group employed by the NHS in England for 2008 and 2009 are shown in table 2. The figures are taken from the annual NHS work force census of NHS staff in England at 30 September each year.
	The data in the two tables are not comparable because pay band data are extracted from the payroll dimension of the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and include only staff who are on Agenda for Change terms and conditions so, for example, 114,000 general practitioner (GP) practice staff are not included. As such, staff numbers in this report will not match those in the NHS work force census which covers all staff employed by the NHS in England. Data on staff groups in table 2 are extracted from the annual NHS work force census. As noted above these figures will not match those derived from the earnings process.
	
		
			  Table 1: Basic pay and total earnings for non medical staff groups, English NHS, 2008-10 
			  Full-time equivalent( 2) 
			  Basic salary( 1)  2008  2009  2010 
			 £10,000-£15,000 148,267 104,831 86,096 
			 £15,000-£20,000 186,404 215,802 241,289 
			 £20,000-£25,000 173,293 189,267 162,543 
			 £25,000-£30,000 119,198 134,035 157,609 
			 £30,000-£35,000 107,050 98,930 109,805 
			 £35,000-£40,000 40,051 67,009 44,542 
			 £40,000-£45,000 17,789 16,764 51,727 
			 £45,000-£50,000 4,939 14,237 20,774 
			 £50,000-£55,000 8,571 10,479 5,667 
			 £55,000-£60,000 1,403 3,033 8,319 
			 £60,000-£65,000 3,657 1,586 1,623 
			 £65,000-£70,000 1,333 3,724 5,704 
			 £70,000-£75,000 692 649 831 
			 £75,000-£80,000 1,109 2,142 797 
			 £80,000-£85,000 189 276 2,116 
			 £85,000-£90,000 144 173 254 
			 £90,000-£95,000 149 155 174 
			 £95,000-£100,000 (3)- 291 444 
			 £100,000+ 15 23 28 
			 (1) Mean basic salary is calculated by dividing the total amount of annualised basic pay earned by staff by the total worked FTE for those staff m the period specified. (2) Calculated as mean basic salary, but for all earnings. This includes basic salary, plus hours related pay. overtime, occupation payments, location payments and other payments including redundancy pay or payment of notice periods. (3) Indicates that the number is less than 10 so the data are obscured in line with the Data Protection Act.  Notes: 1. These figures represent payments made using the Electronic Staff Record to NHS staff who are on Agenda for Change pay scales. 2. Figures based on data from all NHS organisations who are using ESR (two foundation trusts have not taken up ESR). 3. Earnings data are extracted from the payroll dimension of ESR and undergoes a different data manipulation process to NHS census data. As such, staff numbers in this report will not match those in the NHS Census.  Source: Information Centre for Health and Social Care NHS Staff Earnings Estimates. April to July 2008, 2009 and 2010-processed using data taken from the Electronic Staff Record Data Warehouse. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: NHS hospital and community health service (HCHS) and general practice work force England 
			   Headcount 
			  As at 30 September  2008  2009 
			 Total HCHS non-medical staff 1,120,548 1,176,831 
			
			 Total qualified nursing staff(2) 408,160 417,164 
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 346,377 353,570 
			 Bank nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 39,735 41,659 
			 GP practice nurses(1, 3) 22,048 21,935 
			
			 Total qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff(4) 142,558 149,596 
			 Qualified Allied Health Professions 71,301 73,953 
			 Other qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff 71,257 75,643 
			
			 Qualified ambulance staff(5) 17,451 17,922 
			
			 Support to clinical staff 355,010 377,617 
			 Support to doctors and nursing staff 266,070 278,390 
			 Bank support to doctors and nursing staff 20,184 25,034 
			 Support to scientific, therapeutic and technical staff 55,689 59,831 
			 Support to ambulance staff 13,067 14,362 
			
			 NHS infrastructure support 219,064 236,103 
			 Central functions 105,354 115,818 
			 Hotel, property and estates 73,797 75,624 
			 Manager and senior manager 39,913 44,661 
			
			 Other non-medical staff or those with unknown classification 353 364 
			
			 Other GP practice staff(1) 92,436 92,333 
			 (1) GP data as at 1 October 1999 and 30 September 2000-09 (2) Nursing and midwifery figures exclude students on training courses leading to a first qualification as a nurse or midwife. (3) Headcount practice nurse figures are estimated for 1999 based on the 1997 FTE to headcount ratio. (4 )To make the census data comparable with the Review Body for Nursing Staff and Other Health Professionals definitions, qualified Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) now include speech and language therapists (previously these were included in other qualified ST and T staff). For comparability historical data has been reassigned to match the revised definition. The numbers of AHPs will not match those published in previous years. (5) In 2006 ambulance staff were collected under new, more detailed, occupation codes. As a result, qualified totals and support to ambulance staff totals are not directly comparable with previous years.  Source: The NHS Information Centre.

Obesity

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of NHS funding to treat morbid obesity which is provided for  (a) medical solutions and  (b) holistic approaches.

Anne Milton: None. It is up to primary care trusts to commission a range of healthcare services for their population, based on clinical need and effectiveness.

Obesity

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the NHS is taking to enable obese individuals to take control of their own weight loss management.

Anne Milton: It is up to primary care trusts to commission a range of health care services for their population, based on clinical need and effectiveness.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has set 'Guidance on the prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children', available at:
	www.nice.org.uk/CG43
	This guidance sets out clinical and public health recommendations for the prevention and management of overweight and obesity, including different services that can help individuals to manage their weight.

Obesity

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are in place in the NHS to support charities concerned with childhood obesity.

Anne Milton: It is for primary care trusts to commission services to meet the health care needs of their local populations, taking account of local and national priorities.
	The Department administers the Innovation, Excellence and Service Development Fund. This scheme provides charities with funding to support projects in the health and social care field. Organisations are asked to align their proposals with one or more of the cross cutting themes set out by the Department.

Obesity

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of  (a) men and  (b) women in each socio-economic decile who are (i) overweight and (ii) obese.

Anne Milton: Information is not available in the format requested. We do not hold information on socio-economic deciles.
	Information on the percentage of overweight and obese men and women, aged 16 and over, by equivalised household income quintiles in England in 2009, is included in table 7.3 of the 'Health Survey for England-2009: Health and lifestyles' report. This information is available on the NHS Information Centre's website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/hse09report
	This publication has been placed in the Library.

Parents: Advisory Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what help and support the NHS offers couples considering parenthood.

Anne Milton: The NHS Choices website:
	www.nhs.uk
	publishes a wide range of information for people considering parenthood including preconceptual care, planning for a healthy pregnancy and choosing the best options for maternity care.

Surgery

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has to support professional societies in surgery and medicine in the development of surgical audits and patient outcome data;
	(2)  if he will take steps to ensure that guidelines of the European Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery on when patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease should be recommended for coronary artery surgery or a percutaneous coronary intervention are implemented in the NHS.

Simon Burns: In recognition of the role audit plays in driving up quality and delivering improved outcomes for patients the NHS White Paper commits the Coalition to extending clinical audit to more conditions and a wider range of interventions.
	In 2011-12 the Department will make another £1.2 million available for up to four new national clinical audits. The topic selection for these new audits has started-led by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership. The intention is that the topics are aligned to the Outcomes Framework and National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Quality Standards and where significant improvements in health outcomes might be achievable.
	The Department is working with the professional societies and NHS Improvement to ensure that there is appropriate multi-disciplinary decision making and patient involvement in decisions about their care, as set out in the European Society for Cardiology guidelines.